The city of Warren and a police officer named in a federal lawsuit regarding a woman's miscarriage and subsequent felony charge have filed their response denying key allegations and asserting several defenses.

In a document filed in federal court in Youngstown, the city of Warren and Officer Nicholas Carney responded to the complaint filed by Brittany Watts. Watts alleges she was denied proper medical care during a miscarriage in September 2023 and then falsely charged with abuse of a corpse.

After considering evidence in the case, the Trumbull County Grand Jury declined to issue an indictment in the Watts case.

The city and Carney denied several allegations in Watts' complaint, including those detailing her medical treatment, the circumstances of her miscarriage, and an alleged conspiracy to fabricate evidence.

However, the city and Carney did admit that the Warren Police Department received a call on Sept. 22, 2023, reporting that Watts had a home birth and was unsure if the baby was alive. They also admitted that a criminal investigation was conducted, including a "consensual interview" with Watts, and that she was arrested on Oct. 5, 2023.

The response also acknowledged that police were dispatched to St. Joseph Warren Hospital to investigate alleged criminal conduct and conducted a "consensual interview" with Watts, who was in a hospital bed. They say Watts was taken into custody after an arrest warrant was issued.

The city and Carney asserted several defenses, including immunity under Ohio law, and that other people and other causes resulted in Watt’s claims of injury,

The city and Carney requested that Watts' complaint be dismissed.

The lawsuit also names Bon Secours Mercy Health and St. Joseph Warren Hospital as defendants, who have yet to respond to the complaint.

After Watts was charged, she received support from some lawmakers and civil rights groups. She was also invited to attend President Joseph Biden’s State of the Union Address last year.