Eric André, Clayton English reach settlement in airport profiling lawsuit
Eric André, Clayton English settle airport search lawsuit
Clayton County Police ended an airport search program at Hartsfield-Jackson following a federal court settlement. The agreement mandates body-worn cameras and constitutional training for officers at the airport.
ATLANTA - Comedians Eric André and Clayton English have reached a settlement in their federal civil rights lawsuit against the Clayton County Police Department, according to attorneys.
What we know:
The legal battle between André, English, and the Clayton County Police Department ended after county commissioners approved a $30,000 payment split between the two comedians.
Mandated department reforms
As part of the agreement, Clayton County police officially ended their specialized drug search program operating inside Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
Airport-assigned Clayton County officers must now wear body cameras and complete training on constitutional limits during passenger interactions.
The 2022 lawsuit alleged officers unlawfully targeted and profiled passengers on jet bridges without reasonable suspicion, citing data showing over half of the 400+ passengers stopped during an eight-month span were Black.
What they're saying:
The two entertainers spoke out about the distress caused by the stops and their goal of reforming police practices.
"The experience was humiliating and dehumanizing," André previously said regarding the incident.
"I felt cornered in that jet bridge, and I felt a need to comply," English recalled. "What happened to me was wrong, and I wasn’t willing to let it happen to other people. We held Clayton County accountable."
Legal experts noted the significance of the policy changes following key federal appellate decisions.
"They had done nothing wrong. There was no reason for police to target them," said Nancy Glass, Litigation Director for the Policing Project at NYU School of Law. "Now, all Clayton County police officers operating in the airport are going to have to wear body-worn cameras, and they're going to receive training on constitutional limits."
Atlanta-based trial attorney Tom Church noted that these stops were likely unconstitutional.
"The fact that they are stopping this program comes after an 11th Circuit Court of Appeals opinion, where they held that there's a plausible Fourth Amendment violation," he stated.
Clayton County police statement
FOX 5 reached out to the Clayton County Police Department regarding the settlement and the disbanding of the unit. A department spokesperson declined to comment, stating, "At this time, the Clayton County Police Department has no comment regarding this matter."
Allegations of unconstitutional stops
The backstory:
The legal battle stems from separate incidents on jet bridges at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, where both men alleged they were unlawfully profiled and stopped by Clayton County officers without reasonable suspicion.
The lawsuit contended that officers used coercive tactics during the entertainers' encounters.
English was stopped on Oct. 30, 2020, while traveling from Atlanta to Los Angeles. An officer requested to search his bag, and English agreed, later stating he did not believe he was free to refuse.
André was stopped on April 21, 2021, during a layover in Atlanta. Officers blocked his path on the jet bridge and requested his ID and boarding pass.
RELATED STORY: Comedians' lawsuit over arrests at Atlanta airport can continue, judges rule
The case was initially dismissed by a federal district court judge in September 2023. However, in August 2025, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit unanimously reversed part of that dismissal.
Appeals judges ruled that André and English "plausibly alleged that Clayton County subjected them to unreasonable searches and seizures" in violation of the Fourth Amendment. The judges noted that officers physically blocked the men's paths, held their IDs and boarding passes, and failed to inform them that they were free to leave.
The legal battle stems from separate incidents on jet bridges at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Both men alleged they were unlawfully profiled and stopped by Clayton County officers without reasonable suspicion.
RELATED STORY: Comedian Eric Andre claims racial profiling at Atlanta airport
What we don't know:
Attorneys did not state whether any of the officers involved in the stops face internal discipline, administrative reassignment, or formal reprimands.
The Source: Information in this report was gathered from court filings, public statements from the Policing Project at NYU School of Law, and reporting by FOX 5 Atlanta.