Packers' Josh Jacobs sues to keep records closed | Exclusive

Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs does not want the public to see records of a May 23 altercation with an ex-girlfriend.

Jacobs filed suit against the Hobart/Lawrence Police Department on Oct. 14 after the department determined that records could be released. The department has 20 days to respond in writing.

Jacobs pleaded no contest Sept. 10 in Brown County Circuit Court to misdemeanor battery and criminal damage to property charges stemming from a May 23 incident in Hobart with the ex-girlfriend.

Brown County Judge Marc Hammer said Sept. 24 that Wisconsin open records law favors public access, but it would be up to the Hobart/Lawrence Police Department to apply a balancing test between the rights of the public, the defendant and the victim in deciding whether to release records.

On Oct. 13, the police department said that its review determined that certain records, including those obtained through subpoenas and search warrants, could be released with appropriate redactions. Other records − including police reports, body-worn camera recordings and squad camera recordings − can be released as they are.

As of early on Oct. 15, the victim had not filed anything with the court since the Sept. 24 ruling unsealing the records but leaving them subject to review. The victim had asked on Sept. 15 that the records be sealed.

Jacobs in his Oct. 14 lawsuit asked for "a permanent injunction, protective order and final order restraining public access to those records." The lawsuit said he supports the victim's desire to keep the records sealed.

"Redaction limited to names or faces would not adequately protect [the victim]. In addition, with today's advanced AI[,] her body shape and other indicia of her identity in the video could lead to identifying her," Jacobs' lawyers said in the lawsuit.

The lawsuit argues that video from inside the home, showing entrances and personal property, could subject Jacobs to robbery and related property crimes because, as a public sports figure, his schedule and travel information can be publicly known.

"Widespread public dissemination of those details would materially increase Plaintiff's vulnerability to theft, burglary, robbery, trespass or other targeted criminal conduct," the suit said.

According to the criminal complaint, police seized video files from a surveillance system. The video footage from the garage shows Jacobs taking the victim's phone while she was on the garage floor and damaging the phone, the complaint said, adding that the video doesn't show any part of the incident inside the residence.