A former deputy of the Marion County Sheriff’s Office claims he was retaliated against after he reported his sergeant and captain to human resources for allegedly calling him “a little dark,” suggesting he would get stationed in Reddick to “contend with the ‘monkeys,'” and forcing him and his colleagues to unlawfully doctor reports, among several other accusations.
Attorneys representing David Ur filed the 32-page complaint in the United States Middle District Court of Florida on May 9, naming Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods, Captain Louis Pulford, and Sergeant Timothy Liberatore as defendants.
According to the lawsuit, Ur entered the MCSO Field Training Officer (FTO) program on May 14, 2020, after he was hired by the sheriff’s office. Ur completed the program and began working in the sheriff’s patrol division on August 13, 2020.
During his first few months working under Sergeant Liberatore, Ur claims he voiced his opinion about how the sergeant “treated [Ur] and other deputies working” in the patrol division.
In specific, Ur mentioned said he voiced his objection to Liberatore allegedly demanding that he “modify the facts in official law enforcement incident and probable cause reports.”
Ur allegedly asked that Liberatore “discontinue his pattern of demands” that he and his colleagues “modify their official reports,” saying it was “unlawful.”
After several months of he and other deputies allegedly changing “the facts in their reports,” Ur says that, in October 2020, he reported the issue to MCSO attorney Timothy McCourt, Lieutenant Michael Joyner, and Sergeant Clint Smith. At the time, Ur was told to report the matter to human resources and McCourt, who has since become a circuit judge, said he “would follow up with command staff.”
According to the complaint, around the time that Ur reported these issues to his superiors, Liberatore allegedly made comments that Ur looked “a little dark” and would be “sent to Reddick…where he would have to contend with the ‘monkeys’ swinging from the trees.”
“Because of his concerns that [Ur] and other deputies were being asked to modify official reports by Liberatore and his use of racist comments, [Ur] reported Sergeant Liberatore to Defendant Sheriff’s Human Resources Department on November 21, 2020,” reads a statement from the complaint.
Ur says that a few weeks after he reported the issues, “an investigation was initiated by Captain Louis Pulford. Instead of the investigation focusing on Liberatore’s “racist comments,” however, Ur says that he became the target of the investigation and that they found his “complaints against Liberatore unfounded.”
Accordingly, immediately following his complaint, Ur says he was accused of not wearing his body worn camera in a retaliatory complaint initiated by Captain Pulford.
“Rather than really investigate Liberatore, he and others with the Sheriff scoured all of [Ur’s] body worn camera footage attempting to find something to charge him with,” reads a statement from the complaint.
The lawsuit goes on to suggest that Ur did not receive training in the use of his body warn camera, and that no other deputies had their footage reviewed at the time.
“Despite not receiving training in the use of the body worn camera, plaintiff was suspended for three days in what was an act of retaliation. Notably, plaintiff’s body worn camera footage was only reviewed because he spoke out against Sergeant Liberatore and it appears that no one else’s footage was reviewed,” reads a statement from the lawsuit.
In early December 2020, Ur says he enrolled in a course offered by Axon to become “better trained in the use of his body warn camera.” Ur says he purchased the course with his own money in an “effort to defend against future retaliatory attacks by MCSO.”
Just a few months later, in early April 2021, Ur was investigated for “taking too long to write a report.” He was eventually found to have completed the reporting in a timely fashion and was proven “innocent of any wrongdoing,” according to the complaint.
In mid-April 2021, another investigation was initiated by MCSO Internal Affairs against Ur based on an allegation that he had “been untruthful in a report.” That investigation and allegation were also ultimately proven “unfounded,” according to Ur’s attorneys.
After that investigation ended, another investigation was initiated, accusing Ur of “making false statements in his reports based on his body camera footage not matching his reports.”
In May 2021, Ur was told that criminal charges would be brought against him.
“As a result of the unfounded and retaliatory investigations launched against him, and Defendant Sheriff’s threat to continue its retaliation with criminal charges for making false reports, [Ur] resigned under duress on May 10, 2021,” reads the complaint.
On May 12, 2021, Ur was arrested on multiple counts of making false official statements.
Ur says all “18 to 20 charges” were ultimately dismissed, despite the sheriff’s office attempt to replead the case with “additional unfounded charges” multiple times.
“Like the prior investigations, these charges stemmed from incidents in which [Ur] was alleged to have made false statements in his reports. These charges, like the Sheriff’s internal allegations, were made in retaliation for [Ur] speaking out on behalf of himself and other deputies, and for his refusal to capitulate,” reads the complaint. “Despite overwhelming evidence that [Ur] did not commit any crimes, defendants, through Pulford with the complicity of Liberatore, concocted charges and submitted them to the Office of the State Attorney for criminal prosecution.”
The lawsuit seeks damages in excess of $75,000, exclusive of costs and interest.
David Ur is one of several individuals, including another former deputy, who have filed lawsuits against the Marion County Sheriff’s Office in 2025.
In a similar lawsuit, another former employee is suing Woods’ office for allegedly retaliating against her after she repeatedly voiced concerns over the quality of inmate health care at Marion County Jail.
In another lawsuit, the family of a 73-year-old disabled veteran of the Vietnam War with special needs sued the sheriff and multiple deputies, alleging that they improperly used deadly force, pepper spray, and tasers before leaving the man for dead in a cell floor for two days.
A separate lawsuit filed by an Ocala man who was strip searched and wrongfully detained for 24 hours claims the sheriff’s office never reimbursed him for the cost of attorney’s fees and towing expenses he incurred.