$23,770 Settlement for Sheriff’s Censorship of Facebook Comments
The San Diego County Sheriff’s Office (SDCSO) paid $23,770 to settle a lawsuit alleging it violated a man’s First Amendment rights by deleting his comments on SDCSO’s Facebook page.
Dimitrius Karras posted comments asking Sheriff William D Gore, “Do you plead the 5th about your involvement in the MURDER of an unarmed woman who was holding her baby? REMEMBER RUBY RIDGE.”
The comments were deleted and Karras was prevented from posting further. He sought a preliminary injunction to prevent the censorship. Once the suit was filed, SDCSO deleted the Facebook page.
SDCSO contended Karras violated the rules to comment on the suit by failing to keep his comments respectful and on point. Due to many negative comments from Karras’s supporters, it was forced to take down the site.
The February 25, 2015, settlement paid Karras $20 plus $23,750 in attorney fees. See Karras v. Gore, USDC, S.D. California, Case No 3:14-cv-02564.
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Related legal case
Karras v. Gore
| Year | 2015 |
|---|---|
| Cite | USDC, S.D. California, Case No 3:14-cv-02564. |
| Level | District Court |
| Conclusion | Settlement |
| Attorney Fees | 23,750 |
| Damages | 20 |
| Injunction Status | N/A |