City Forced to Pay Woman Over $31,000 After Punishing Her for Controversial Election Sign
The city of Lakeland, Tennessee fined a woman for displaying a controversial political sign on her lawn, leading to a legal battle. Julie Pereira had placed a sign reading “F*** Em’ Both 2024” on her lawn as a message to both political parties. The city fined her for obscenity, leading Pereira to take the city to court. A federal court ruled in Pereira’s favor, declaring the city’s actions unconstitutional and ordering them to pay her $31,000 in damages and cover fines and costs. The ruling highlighted the importance of upholding free speech rights, especially in the context of upcoming elections.
Court Orders City to Pay Woman Over $31,000 After She Was Punished for Controversial Election Sign
By Michael Austin July 14, 2024 at 2:00pm
The city of Lakeland, Tennessee, fined a woman for a political sign she placed on her lawn in the middle of January.
Now, the city is the one paying her, to the tune of $31,000.
When Julie Pereira first placed the sign on her lawn in the middle of January, she was trying to send a nonpartisan message to both major U.S. political parties: She didn’t like their candidates, WMC-TV reported.
The explicit sign read “F*** Em’ Both 2024.”
In response, Lakeland officials claimed Pereira was breaking the law due to the sign’s obscenity.
According to the New York Post, the city argued that the sign violated city regulations prohibiting the display of “statements of an obscene, indecent, or immoral character, which would offend public morals or decency” and “statements, words or pictures of an obscene nature.”
The city then charged Pereira $50 for every day the sign was up.
Pereira wasn’t fazed by the fines, however, and decided to keep the sign up.
“I am well aware of my constitutional and protected rights and that the City of Lakeland’s sign ordinance contains several unconstitutional requirements and regulations,” Pereira said, according to WMC-TV.
Pereira chose to take the city to court, and in turn, the city chose to file claims against her, though the later suit was dropped by the city in June.
Then, in July, a federal court sided with Pereira.
According to the ruling, the city had no right to impose on Pereira’s rights given that the sign was not “obscene” as defined by standing legal precedent.
“For these reasons, the Court DECLARES UNCONSTITUTIONAL the Defendants’ enforcement action against the Plaintiff for displaying her unredacted political yard sign,” the ruling said.
“The Defendants are thus PERMANENTLY ENJOINED from taking any further enforcement action against the Plaintiff for displaying her unredacted political yard sign.”
To cover all of the fines and other costs caused by the city’s fines, it was ordered to give Pereira $688.45.
On top of that, the city must also pay the aforementioned $31,000 in damages.
But it’s not as if this was just one big payday for Pereira.
According to the official ruling, the $31,000 in damages amounts to “reasonable attorney’s fees” and other costs.
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