A retired police officer, Larry Bushart, was arrested in Tennessee after posting memes on Facebook about the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. He was jailed for 37 days, and he later filed a civil rights lawsuit claiming violations of First Amendment rights. The lawsuit targeted Perry County, the sheriff, and the investigator who obtained the arrest warrant. The case has been settled, with Tennessee agreeing to pay $835,000 to Bushart. Bushart stated that his First Amendment rights were vindicated and emphasized the importance of public participation in civil discourse. The settlement provides him substantial financial compensation while allowing him to move on and spend time with his family.
"A Tennessee man who spent 37 days in jail over a Facebook post about Charlie Kirk has won an $835,000 settlement after filing a First Amendment lawsuit. Larry Bushart, a 61-year-old retired police officer, was arrested in September after sharing memes on Facebook about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Tennessee officials have now agreed to pay $835,000 to settle the lawsuit filed by Bushart against Perry County, its sheriff, and the investigator who obtained the arrest warrant...."I am pleased my First Amendment rights have been vindicated," Bushart said in a statement announcing the settlement."
"Seeing this happen in real time is like seeing someone else live your get-hit-by-a-bus-and-win-free-tuition dream. Not to belittle what he went through - no one wants to spend over a month in jail over what they knew were bullshit charges. That said, many Americans would jump at the opportunity to make ~$22,500 a day for a snarky tweet or two."
"Bushart, a former sheriff, was well within his rights to share his opinion. And while there's a long standing understanding that cops aren't required to know the law to do their jobs, you'd think the arresting officers would have skimmed the Constitution long enough to read the First Amendment. Alas. The open and shut case recently settled and Bushart is hundreds of thousands of dollars richer for it."
Read at Above the Law
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