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Julie Pereira posted a yard sign rudely expressing her dissatisfaction with Biden and trump.
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But her city, Lakeland, Tennessee, near Memphis, deemed the sign “obscene” and fined her $50 a day.
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She sued — and has now settled, with the city paying her about $32,000 in costs and legal fees.
A Tennessee woman whose eyebrow-raising political sign got her fined hundreds of dollars has won nearly $32,000 after filing a First Amendment lawsuit against her city.
Earlier this year, Julie Pereira posted a sign in her freshman year saying “Fuck you both 2024.” But it wasn’t long before neighbors complained and a code enforcement officer in the Memphis suburb of Lakeland fined Pereira for violating a city ordinance against obscene signs.
She briefly censored her signal, but processed last month. On Wednesday, lawyers on both sides sought approval for a town which found the city’s actions unconstitutional and awarded $31,000 for Pereira’s legal fees, as well as several hundred dollars in damages and costs.
“Being able to tell politicians to fuck off is a sacred American right,” said Daniel A. Horwitz, one of Pereira’s lawyers, in an email to Business Insider. “We are proud to have protected Ms. Pereira’s right to express her political views and to have achieved a successful outcome in this important First Amendment case.”
Pereira said in her lawsuit that she is dissatisfied with the two main candidates, President Joe Biden and Donald Trump, in the upcoming November elections. But her election sign isn’t the first thing to upset city officials. Local News Station ABC24 reported in May that Pereira also successfully sued the city after she was cited for a Christmas decoration that used foul language in reference to the 1989 comedy film “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.”
When she initially challenged the violation because of her “Fuck Both” sign, the judge said it was unclear whether “both” referred to Biden and Trump, a transcription showed. A code enforcement officer said at least 10 neighbors have complained, including one person who claimed they would not have bought a home in the area if the Pereira sign was blacked out.
The judge also alluded to Pereira’s previous confrontation with the city and noted that prison time was a possibility.
“I’ll warn you, I don’t want to see you back here,” the judge said.
“Your Honor, I do not want to see the city of Lakeland continue to violate my First Amendment rights,” Pereira responded.
City officials did not respond to an email sent on July 4, a U.S. holiday.
Read the original article at Business Insider
