Former Philadelphia LGBTQ official files lawsuit against Pennsylvania State Police following 2024 traffic stop resulting in arrests.

Celena Morrison-McLean, the former head of Philadelphia’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs, has initiated a lawsuit against the Pennsylvania State Police and Andrew Zaborowski, a state trooper who was dismissed following a controversial incident in March 2024. This incident, which resulted in Morrison-McLean and her husband Darius McLean being arrested after a traffic stop, gained significant attention after video footage went viral.

In the lawsuit filed in Common Pleas Court in Philadelphia, Morrison-McLean, 52, and McLean, 36, allege that Zaborowski employed excessive force against them during the arrest. Specifically, the couple claims that Zaborowski’s actions were unprovoked and unjustified, constituting assault, false imprisonment, and battery. The couple is seeking damages exceeding ,000, a figure that avoids mandatory arbitration due to Philadelphia’s arbitration laws.

The Pennsylvania State Police issued a statement indicating that the agency does not comment on ongoing litigation, while Zaborowski also refrained from making any remarks about the case.

The incident that sparked the lawsuit occurred on March 2, 2024, on the Vine Street Expressway. According to state police records, Morrison-McLean was operating a gray Infiniti sedan with an expired registration and illegally darkened windows, all occurring under rainy conditions. McLean was reportedly following too closely behind her vehicle.

Morrison-McLean and McLean were en route to a mechanic for necessary car repairs when they were pulled over. Zaborowski approached McLean’s vehicle first, allegedly with his weapon drawn. The situation escalated when McLean attempted to explain his position but was forcibly removed from his vehicle and pushed to the ground.

Morrison-McLean intervened by recording the confrontation on her phone. Both individuals were subsequently arrested; McLean faced charges of resisting arrest and obstructing justice, while Morrison-McLean was accused of attempting to interfere with the arrest of her husband.

The viral video of the arrest depicts a chaotic scene with heated exchanges between McLean and the trooper, demonstrating the tension between law enforcement and citizens during the encounter. Reports indicate that neither Morrison-McLean nor her husband faced charges, as the District Attorney’s Office later declined to pursue the case after review.

Following the incident, Zaborowski was terminated from his position within two months of the traffic stop due to the agency’s internal investigation. The decision to fire him was met with criticism from some quarters, including statements by police association leaders asserting that Zaborowski faced undue backlash for his conduct during the encounter.

Morrison-McLean, who served as the first openly transgender director of the Office of LGBTQ Affairs in Philadelphia after her appointment in 2020, left her position in November 2024. The lawsuit continues to unfold, drawing attention to issues of police conduct and community relations in Philadelphia and beyond.

For further updates and in-depth analysis of this ongoing case, interested parties are encouraged to follow developments reported by trusted news organizations.