North Charleston woman sues three law enforcement agencies

CHARLESTON, SC (WCSC) - A woman who filed three separate lawsuits against Lowcountry law enforcement agencies is now battling one of them in court.

Tessa Childress of North Charleston claims North Charleston officers assaulted her outside her mother's home in 2015.

In the suit filed in 2017, Childress claims one officer sexually assaulted her and a second officer assaulted her.

On Monday her lawyer was back in federal court for a hearing on the North Charleston lawsuit.

Childress' attorney asked U.S. District Judge David Norton for a delay in moving forward with the case.

He said Childress needs to get a second opinion on whether she needs hip surgery from the alleged assault by the North Charleston officers.

Childress was not in court.

We learned Childress has prior lawsuits against two other departments.

In 2013 she filed suit against the Charleston County Sheriff's Office.

In the suit Childress claimed she was assaulted by detention officers at the Charleston County Jail and denied medical treatment there before and after the alleged assault.

She asked for $300,000 in damages.

In June of that year, a federal judge dismissed the lawsuit without ordering the sheriff's office to pay anything to Childress.

In May 2013, records show Childress sued the Charleston Police Department.

According to that suit, Childress claims she went to the police department to get some police reports where she was detained, questioned about her medical history and then assaulted by officers.

Records show in 2017 The City of Charleston settled with her for an undisclosed amount of money.

On Monday Judge Norton told attorneys for both sides to try to mediate a settlement in the North Charleston suit.

If an agreement isn’t worked out, Norton said he will consider whether to dismiss the suit or send it to trial.

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