MOBILE, Ala. (NBC 15) — The legal battle between former Mobile Police Chief Paul Prine and City of Mobile officials took another step this week, as city leaders formally denied his latest allegations in a newly filed response to his amended complaint.
Prine’s lawsuit alleges he was wrongfully terminated and defamed after clashing with city leadership, including Mayor Sandy Stimpson, former Chief of Staff James Barber and Public Safety Director Rob Lasky. He has claimed he was retaliated against for raising concerns about alleged misconduct, including an accusation that Barber attempted to involve him in leaking the autopsy report in the 2023 death of Jawan Dallas. Prine also alleges that outside attorney Kenyen Brown’s investigation into the police department was a coordinated effort to damage his reputation.
In a 57-page Answer filed this week, Barber, Lasky and Stimpson deny those claims and call Prine’s allegations baseless. The filing states Barber did not leak the Dallas autopsy report, did not tell Prine he leaked it and did not ask Prine to serve as a second source. The defendants argue Prine never formally reported illegal conduct at the time and did not raise such claims until after he was suspended…