- A Vermont trooper arrested a man for (allegedly) giving him the middle finger.
- ACLU sued, claiming First Amendment violation and wrongful arrest.
- The victim is getting $100,000 while $75,000 is going to legal fees.
Common sense isn’t so common and that unfortunately extends to some members of law enforcement. However, there’s a happy ending this time as a man is now $100,000 richer following the outrageous actions of a Vermont State Trooper.
According to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Vermont, Gregory Bombard was pulled over by Vermont State Trooper Jay Riggen in 2018 because he believed Bombard gave him the finger. That’s bad enough, but Bombard claimed he didn’t give the trooper ‘the bird.’
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Despite the denial, the ACLU said Bombard was “harangued and detained by Riggen for several minutes of questioning.” Once the stop concluded, Bombard cursed and showed the trooper his middle finger.
This apparently enraged Riggen as he arrested Bombard for disorderly conduct. Despite being a clear violation of his rights, the ACLU says Bombard was “jailed for over an hour, cited to criminal court, and forced to navigate criminal proceedings for nearly a year before the charge was dismissed.”
Thankfully, the ACLU had Bombard’s back and filed suit on his behalf in 2021. The group contended the initial stop violated Bombard’s “rights to be free from unreasonable seizure and false arrest,” while the arrest was retaliation for Bombard exercising his First Amendment rights.
“Anyone who understands even the most basics of First Amendment 101 will understand that an officer can’t just take action and retaliate against someone, arrest them, put them in a cell just because the person bruises their ego,” Jay Diaz, a lawyer for Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) who represented Mr. Bombard, told the NYT.
After years of legal proceedings, the Vermont State Police decided to settle for $175,000. Bombard is getting $100,000 in damages, while the ACLU and another group will apparently get $75,000 in legal fees.
Attorney Hillary Rich remarked, “Police need to respect everyone’s First Amendment rights – even for things they consider offensive or insulting.” Those sentiments were echoed by Bombard himself, who said “I hope the Vermont State Police will train its troopers to avoid silencing criticism or making baseless car stops.”