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 federal lawsuit was originally filed in October 2022 following separate jet bridge encounters involving the two entertainers at Atlanta's airport.
Court filings cited data showing over half of the 400+ passengers stopped by the unit over an eight-month span were Black.
The case attracted amicus briefs from entertainment figures, including Tyler Perry, Jamie Foxx, and Taraji P. Henson, alongside civil rights organizations like the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.
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
Mandated department reforms
What's next:
The deal forces Clayton County officers working at the airport to wear body cameras and complete constitutional rights training.
Clayton County police told attorneys there was a permanent end of the specialized interdiction team at Hartsfield-Jackson.
What they're saying:
André and English expressed relief that their legal battle led to lasting policy changes.
"It’s a major victory that Clayton County has confirmed that it has ended this program and is now taking steps to prevent this type of abuse from happening in the future," André said in a statement.
English emphasized that standing up against the police department was about protecting other passengers from facing similar treatment.
"What happened to me was wrong, and I wasn’t willing to let it happen to other people," English said. "We held Clayton County accountable, and now the County has confirmed that the program is gone, and new protections are in place to protect travelers’ rights."
Attorneys who represented the comedians noted that the case achieved its primary objective of reforming local law enforcement practices.
"This settlement is exactly the kind of outcome that Jones Day's Constitutional Policing and Civil Justice Reform Initiative was created to achieve — ending policing practices that unfairly target individuals and securing meaningful and lasting reforms that protect the rights of all," said Rick Deane, lead counsel and retired Jones Day partner.
What we don't know:
It is unclear whether the settlement includes any monetary payout or financial compensation to André and English, as specific financial terms were not disclosed.
The release does not state whether any of the officers involved in the stops face internal discipline, administrative reassignment, or formal reprimands.
The Source: The information in this story came from a press release from the Policing Project at NYU School of Law and previous FOX 5 reports.