A WIN FOR FREE SPEECH - More

A WIN FOR FREE SPEECH:

Fire Investigator, Crystal Eschert, Fired By Charlotte Over Pro-Law Enforcement Post, Sues, Is Now Gonna Be A Millionaire.

Charlotte, NC – A jury just sent the city of Charlotte a strong message: You can’t fire employees for saying things on Facebook you disagree with, and you can’t use those posts to justify an unlawful firing.

The jury found that the city of Charlotte was retaliating against Crystal Eschert when they fired her for a Facebook post that she made in the days following the shooting of Michael Brown. The jury awarded her $1.5 million. . . .

“White guy shot by police yesterday near Ferguson … Where is Obama? Where is Holder? Where is Al Sharpton? Where are Trayvon Martin’s parents? Where are all the white guys supporters? So is everyone MAKING it a racial issue? So tired it’s a racial thing. If you are a thug and worthless to society, it’s not race – You’re just a waste no matter what religion, race or sex you are.”

Somebody named Linda Havery later emailed then-police chief Rodney Monroe and Jon Hannan to complain about the Facebook post, according to Charlotte Observer. The e-mail complained that, even though the Facebook post was private, it “could cause unrest in the community.”

The city fired Eschert over the Facebook post, arguing that she could not do her job if she used words like, “thug.” . . .

Plus: “The complainant, ‘Linda Havery,’ doesn’t exist. This non-existent person somehow had access to Crystal Eschert’s friends-only Facebook page.”

47Posted at 8:30 am by Glenn Reynolds