The woman, identified in the lawsuit as Tahara Williams, claims her phone was given to another woman, Nandi Cobbins, by sheriff’s deputies while she was at the courthouse attending a sentencing hearing for the man who murdered her brother.

Before entering the courthouse, Williams had to give her cellphone to an officer at the security desk. When she asked for a receipt for surrendering the phone, she was told one was not required, the lawsuit states.

While attending the trial, Cobbins was allowed to take Williams’ phone from the security desk in the courthouse. Cobbins was allegedly a relative of the man who killed Williams’ brother and did not have permission to take the phone, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit was filed on August 8 by Stephen R. Coffey, an attorney with the Albany-based firm O’Connell and Aronowitz.

The person who stole the phone is known, but the personnel at the security desk are unknown at this time, Coffey said Monday.

“We know who took it (the phone),” he said. “But we don’t know if it was a deputy sheriff or an OCA (Office of Court Administration).”

According to the lawsuit, the phone contained photos and videos of Williams with other people, and some of the content was of a “sexual or intimate” nature.

When security tried to get her phone back, they told Williams it could not be located.

From there, according to the lawsuit, on or about May 24, 2023, Cobbins gained access to Williams’ social media accounts, including Facebook and Instagram, and sent intimate photos and videos of Williams to her contacts.

“I know this woman (Cobbins) took the phone illegally and they started publicizing it on social media,” Coffey said.

The photos and videos were also used to create fake Williams accounts, according to the lawsuit.

“Plaintiff (Williams) reported the fake accounts to all social media platforms on which they were created, but each time she was successful in having a fake social media account removed, it was replaced by a new fake account,” the lawsuit states.

The lawsuit also states that Williams experienced “humiliation” as a result of the publication of the photos and videos and felt “fear and anxiety” when dealing with new people because she did not know whether they had seen or downloaded the photos.

Williams also fears that more videos and photos will be released, and the rapid creation of new fake social media accounts after others are deleted means the photos and videos will never be permanently removed, the lawsuit says.

The lawsuit alleges that the deputies breached their contract with Williams when they allegedly gave Cobbins her phone and were negligent in failing to return the phone to Williams.

The complaint also alleges that Cobbins and the unnamed sheriff’s deputies “intentionally and without authority exercised control over plaintiff’s (Williams’) personal property” and that by publishing the photos and videos, Cobbins violated Williams’ right to privacy, causing her “emotional and reputational harm.”

Williams is seeking damages for the harm to her reputation, as well as all costs she incurred in filing the lawsuit, including attorneys’ fees, and other damages as determined by the court, the complaint states.

Columbia County Sheriff Donald J. Krapf could not be reached for comment on the lawsuit.