A federal lawsuit has been filed that paints a disturbing picture of alleged systemic failures and abuses within the judicial system of St. Louis, Missouri. Deborah Woods, along with the HHS of Illinois and the State of Illinois, initiated this legal action on April 17, 2025, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois against multiple defendants including the City of St. Louis and various judicial officers. The complaint accuses these entities and individuals of violating constitutional rights, engaging in fraud, and committing civil torts such as breach of contract.
The case stems from an alleged illegal eviction in August 2019, which Woods claims was facilitated by Judge Nicole Colbert Botchway through bribery. Following this eviction, Woods reportedly received threatening documents containing sensitive personal information about herself and others involved in her case. Despite alerting authorities to these threats, Woods claims she was treated as a suspect rather than a victim. Her arrest in February 2020 by an Illinois State Trooper marked the beginning of what she describes as a six-year ordeal involving unlawful detention under "no bond status," during which she suffered severe physical abuse and medical neglect while incarcerated at St. Louis's City Justice Center.
Woods alleges that her detention was part of a broader policy by St. Louis's judicial officers to impose harsh conditions on indigent defendants to force plea deals—a practice she argues violates constitutional protections against cruel punishment and deprivation of rights under color of law. She further contends that after being released from jail due to health concerns exacerbated by her treatment inside, she was unlawfully banished from Missouri during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns—an act she sees as another attempt on her life.
In addition to seeking monetary damages for her suffering, Woods is pursuing declaratory relief to have all charges expunged based on her completion of a Mental Health Diversion Program—a contractual agreement she asserts was breached by Missouri officials who failed to honor their end despite her compliance.
Representing herself alongside co-plaintiffs HHS and the State of Illinois, Woods demands accountability from those she accuses: public defenders Matthew Mahaffey and Brian Horneyer; judges Rex Burlison and Nicole Colbert-Botchway; Circuit Attorney Kimberly Gardner; among others involved in what she describes as extrajudicial violence driven by personal vendettas masked behind professional duties.
The legal team for Deborah Woods includes attorneys not specified within this document while Judges Jorge L. Alonso and Magistrate Judge Jeffrey T. Gilbert are presiding over this complex litigation identified under Case No: 1:25-cv-4248.