Woman sues city, detective for $10 million over wrongful arrest tied to facial recognition error

FARGO, N.D. (KVLY/Gray News) - A woman is suing for millions of dollars, alleging that a flawed facial recognition match led to her facing bank fraud charges that were later dropped.

Angela Lipps, of Elizabethton, Tennessee, filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday in U.S. District Court in North Dakota against the city of Fargo and Fargo Police Department detective Lucas Heck.

Fargo police investigated the thefts, and Heck received facial recognition results from a West Fargo police analyst and North Dakota’s state intelligence center suggesting Lipps was a possible lead.

According to the lawsuit, West Fargo police noted that they did not believe the facial recognition results were strong enough on their own to bring charges.

Lipps is seeking $10 million in damages, along with punitive damages against Heck and attorneys’ fees, and has requested a jury trial.