{"id":2284688,"date":"2024-06-27T14:28:01","date_gmt":"2024-06-27T18:28:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/vermont-doles-out-sum-to-man-who-flipped-off-state-trooper-retaliatory-arrest-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-06-27T14:31:09","modified_gmt":"2024-06-27T18:31:09","slug":"vermont-doles-out-sum-to-man-who-flipped-off-state-trooper-retaliatory-arrest-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/vermont-doles-out-sum-to-man-who-flipped-off-state-trooper-retaliatory-arrest-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Vermont doles out sum to man who flipped off state trooper: \u2018Retaliatory arrest\u2019 &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">32<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fvermont-doles-out-sum-to-man-who-flipped-off-state-trooper-retaliatory-arrest-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2284688&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Vermont has agreed to\u2064 pay $175,000 to\u200b settle a\u200b lawsuit filed by the ACLU on behalf of Gregory Bombard, who was charged criminally after \u200bgesturing\u2063 with his middle finger at a\u200d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/justice-department-to-change-body-camera-policy\/\" title=\"Justice Department To Change Body Camera Policy\">state police officer<\/a>. The ACLU argued that Bombard&#8217;s First Amendment \u2063rights were violated following a retaliatory arrest in 2018. The settlement includes $100,000 in damages for Bombard and \u200c$75,000 for legal expenses. The\u2062 ACLU highlighted this incident as \u200ban example of unnecessary\u200b police interaction, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/former-trump-lawyer-jenna-ellis-pleads-guilty-to-2020-election-charge\/\" title=\"Ex-Trump lawyer Jenna Ellis admits guilt in 2020 election case.\">urging state legislators<\/a> to limit\u2064 the broad authority\u2063 of\u200c police. Initially, after being pulled over and questioned,\u2064 Bombard was arrested for &#8220;disorderly\u2063 conduct&#8221; when\u2064 he displayed his middle finger a second time, leading \u200bto over an hour of detainment and\u200d a court citation. The lawsuit challenged the constitutionality \u2063of the arrest, \u2063asserting that\u2063 the gesture is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/roger-stone-pleads-the-fifth-in-deposition-before-jan-6-committee\/\" title=\"Roger Stone pleads the Fifth in deposition before Jan. 6 committee\">protected free speech<\/a> under both \u200bthe U.S. \u2062and Vermont\u200b constitutions.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/vermont\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Vermont<\/a> has agreed to pay $175,000 to settle a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/lawsuit\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>lawsuit<\/a> brought by the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/aclu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>American Civil Liberties Union<\/a> after a man was criminally charged for raising his middle finger at a state <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/police\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>police<\/a> officer.<\/p>\n<p>The ACLU Vermont chapter and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/fire\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Foundation of Individual Rights and Expression<\/a> filed the lawsuit on behalf of Gregory Bombard against the Vermont State Police.<\/p>\n<p>In a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.acluvt.org\/en\/press-releases\/aclu-client-settles-case-against-vermont-state-police-over-unconstitutional-arrest\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>statement<\/a>, they said Bombard\u2019s \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/first-amendment\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>First Amendment<\/a> rights were violated after an unnecessary traffic stop and retaliatory arrest in 2018.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>Under the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.acluvt.org\/sites\/default\/files\/2024-06-12_-_signed_bombard_settlement_and_release.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>settlement terms<\/a>, Bombard will receive $100,000 in damages. An additional $75,000 is allocated for legal fees.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis incident should never have happened in the first place,\u201d Hillary Rich, an attorney for ACLU Vermont, said in a statement. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cState legislators need to do more to prevent unnecessary and unjustified police interactions like the one Mr. Bombard experienced \u2014 by downsizing the footprint and broad authority of police in our communities,\u201d she continued.<\/p>\n<p>According to the ACLU\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.acluvt.org\/en\/cases\/bombard-v-riggen-state-vermont\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>complaint<\/a>, Jay Riggen, a Vermont state police officer, pulled Bombard over under the belief Bombard had raised his middle finger at him.<\/p>\n<p>Despite denying making such a gesture, Bombard was detained for questioning for several minutes. After this initial stop, he cursed and displayed his middle finger, leading to his arrest by Riggen for \u201cdisorderly conduct.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure><figcaption>This image taken from police dashcam video shows Gregory Bombard getting arrested on Feb. 9, 2018, in St. Albans, Vermont. The state has agreed to pay $175,000 to settle a lawsuit on behalf of Bombard, who was charged with a crime for giving a state trooper the middle finger in 2018, the state chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union said Wednesday, June 26, 2024. (American Civil Liberties Union\/Vt. State Police via AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Following this incident, he was detained in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/jail\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>jail<\/a> for over an hour and cited to appear in criminal <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/court\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>court<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The lawsuit argues the initial stop violated Bombard\u2019s rights against unreasonable seizure and false arrest while also asserting that the gesture is a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/federal-judge-sides-with-christian-who-told-truth-about-male-claiming-to-be-female\/\" title=\"Judge supports Christian who exposed truth about male claiming to be female.\">protected free expression<\/a> under the First Amendment of the U.S. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/constitution\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Constitution<\/a> and Article Thirteen of the Vermont Constitution.<\/p>\n<p>The state\u2019s attorney also filed a second charge of \u201cdisorderly conduct\u201d against Bombard over the same incident \u201cfor recklessly create[ing] a risk of public annoyance by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pro-palestinian-protesters-block-access-to-major-u-s-airports-coast-to-coast\/\" title=\"Pro-Palestinian Protesters Disrupt U.S. Airports Nationwide\">obstructing vehicular traffic<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>However, the court dismissed this charge prior to reaching a settlement.<\/p>\n<p>Neither Riggen nor the state of Vermont admitted to the allegations against them in the lawsuit or any liability, according to the settlement.<\/p>\n<p>The state police <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/nation\/2024\/06\/27\/vermont-state-trooper-middle-finger-aclu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>told<\/a> NBC 5 that Riggen retired from the department on May 31.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOver the course of our lawsuit, we learned that the Vermont State Police did not have a general First Amendment policy or training for its officers,\u201d Jay Diaz, an attorney for FIRE, said in a statement.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe wouldn\u2019t tolerate police officers who don\u2019t understand traffic laws or parking laws,\u201d he continued. \u201cWell, the Constitution is the highest law in the land, and it doesn\u2019t allow cops to abuse their power to punish protected speech.\u201d <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title><strong>CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Diaz argued that traffic stops in Vermont are the most common way people encounter <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/law-enforcement\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>law enforcement<\/a>. He highlighted elevated rates compared to the national average and racial disparities that affect black and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/latinos\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Latino<\/a> drivers.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith this settlement, I hope the Vermont State Police will train its troopers to avoid silencing criticism or making baseless car stops,\u201d Bombard said, according to the ACLU Vermont press release. \u201cAnd at least now I can pay my criminal attorney for defending me from the bogus charges and take my 88-year-old mother out for a nice dinner.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Vermont will pay $175,000 to settle an ACLU lawsuit after Gregory Bombard was charged for gesturing with his middle finger at a state trooper. The ACLU of Vermont and the Foundation of Individual Rights and Expression represented Bombard, asserting his gesture was protected free speech<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3166,"featured_media":2284689,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Vermont-Middle-Finger-Settlement-1024x763.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[8499,33063,33062,14967,32076],"class_list":["post-2284688","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner","tag-man","tag-retaliatory-arrest","tag-state-trooper","tag-vermont","tag-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Vermont-Middle-Finger-Settlement-1024x763.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2284688","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3166"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2284688"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2284688\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2284689"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2284688"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2284688"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2284688"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}