A federal judge has rejected efforts by Vallejo officials to toss out a lawsuit filed by the couple victimized in an outlandish 2015 kidnap case that generated worldwide headlines likening it to the novel and film “Gone Girl.”
In a 22-page order filed Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Troy L. Nunley refused to dismiss claims by Denise Huskins and Aaron Quinn that they had suffered emotional distress and other hardships because of declarations by Vallejo police that the kidnapping was a hoax.
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“Denise and Aaron are thrilled that the court has agreed that the Vallejo Police Department’s malicious and public attacks against them are not immune under the law,” one of the couple’s attorneys, James Wagstaffe, said in a statement. “Denise and Aaron look forward to holding the Vallejo Police Department accountable for its shocking offensive against two victims of a horrific crime, and working to make sure that other victims are not dismissed and degraded like they were.”