CHICAGO (CBS) — Ald. Jim Gardiner (45th) will pay $157,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by several of his constituents after he blocked them from his official Facebook page.
In 2021, Gardiner blocked six voters from his official Facebook page after they made critical comments about him. They sued the councilman, accusing him of violating their First Amendment rights.
Last year, a federal judge agreed that Gardiner violated their constitutional rights, and banned Gardiner from blocking anyone from his official Facebook page or limiting comments on his page until he came up with a First Amendment-compliant moderation policy.
Gardiner has now agreed to settle that lawsuit for $157,000.
The plaintiffs’ attorney said Gardiner’s actions removed them from the public forum.
“Plaintiffs are very pleased that they have been able to establish that they have the right to be part of that forum, that they have the right to ask questions of their elected official, and even to criticize their elected official if they are there not happy with it. how he does his job,” said attorney Adele Nicholas.
In a statement about the settlement, Gardiner denied any wrongdoing, saying, “I have been and will continue to be targeted by extremists because I refuse to take a knee while fighting for the working-class residents of Chicago.”
