The window for Martinsville Sheriff’s Deputy Reva Keen to respond to a federal civil rights suit filed by city council member Aaron Rawls has closed, according to recently filed court documents.
A clerk’s entry of default, a document signifying that the defendant has failed to defend or otherwise respond to the suit, was filed July 1 in federal court in Danville.
The suit stems from Rawls’ removal from a March city council meeting. In the complaint, he says that his constitutional rights and his privileges as a locally elected official were violated.
“As a member of the Martinsville City Council, Rawls used the time allotted to him during a recent city council meeting to criticize the leadership of the city,” reads part of Rawls’ complaint. “In response, an armed deputy sheriff, acting at the direction of the city manager, immediately seized Rawls and forced him to leave his chair, leave the meeting, and leave the building where the meeting was being held.”
Keen is a codefendant with Martinsville City Manager Aretha Ferrell-Benavides, who the suit claims initiated the incident by signaling to Keen to remove Rawls. Ferrell-Benavides has filed a response to the suit in which she disputes the majority of Rawls’ claims.
Prior to filing her response, Ferrell-Benavides denied involvement in the incident, saying that only the mayor has the authority to remove individuals from regular sessions.
Although he defended Keen in a press conference in the days following the incident, Mayor L.C. Jones denied having given a signal to have Rawls removed.
Keen and city officials have been largely silent about the suit. While Martinsville Sheriff Steve Draper has defended Keen in the days following the incident, he offered no comment about the suit.
Keen declined to comment Tuesday. Draper did not respond to requests for comment.
A default judgment, one in which a decision is made in favor of the plaintiff, could be an outcome of the clerk’s entry of default.
“It’s always possible the deputy can come forward and ask to file something late,” said William Hurd, an attorney working on behalf of Rawls. “It’s still too soon to say” what impact the recent filing will have on the case, he said.
