Florida HIV prevention worker sues over her arrest

South Florida HIV prevention worker Angie Lee, 37, has filed a lawsuit against the Broward County sheriff's office claiming that her April 2002 arrest while distributing condoms to nightclub patrons caused humiliation and mental suffering, The Miami Herald reports. Lee, known in the region as the "condom lady," was asked by owners of an Oakland Park, Fla., nightclub to distribute condoms to patrons in the club's parking lot. Lee, who was initially charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest but later had the charges dropped, claims that deputies responding to reports of loud patrons ordered her from the parking lot, then brusquely arrested her when she explained she was working as an HIV-prevention contractor for the club. The police report claims Lee got loud and verbally aggressive toward the deputies. Lee claimed her arrest in full view of clubgoers caused "public scandal, humiliation, and mental suffering." She is seeking $15,000 in damages. The sheriff's office responded to the lawsuit by claiming its deputies acted properly.