An Instagram influencer is suing the New York Police Department for causing her “emotional distress” after they mistakenly used a photo of her on a wanted poster for a thieving hooker.
The New York Postreports Eva Lopez, 31, has filed a $30 million lawsuit against the NYPD “for defamation, libel, slander, intentional infliction of emotional distress” and negligence.
Lopez, a native of Queens, found out she was a wanted woman last August, when a friend texted her after seeing her face on a wanted poster.
“I thought it was something fake. I really couldn’t believe the police would put me on a wanted poster,” she told the New York Post.
The poster, which cited an Aug. 3 theft from an East Village apartment, where a man was allegedly robbed by an escort of his $13,000 Rolex, as well as a Chase credit card of his roommate, read, “Wanted for Grand Larceny. Perpetrator — probable cause to arrest.”
“It was already spread around on social media,” Lopez recalled. “It was still being talked about making me look like a thief and a prostitute. On Facebook, the [wanted poster] got shared over thousands of times—10,000, 20,000 times. Then on Instagram a lot of blog sites that have millions of followers, they posted it as well.”
While Lopez seeks money due to her reputation being damaged, she maintains that she’s more focused on bringing the truth to light.
“I just really want people to know that’s not me, in any way, shape or form. The girl has nothing to do with me,” she said.
