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The city of Irvine has settled a 1st Amendment lawsuit that alleged former Irvine Mayor Christina Shea blocked a resident on Facebook from posting after he posted comments on her personal page in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Irvine resident Lamar West claimed that Shea violated his rights by blocking his ability to engage in open discussion during a critical period of debate in the country regarding police brutality and racism.
The city settled for nearly $40,000. Irvine also spent more than $80,000 in legal fees.
“This is a huge step in the right direction for the people!” West said Monday in an emailed statement. “Public officials need to be held accountable for their actions especially when they affect our constitutional rights.
Baum Hedlund Secures Settlement in First Amendment Case Against Irvine Mayor From:
The law firm of Baum Hedlund Aristei & Goldman has reached a settlement agreement on behalf of client Lamar West in his civil rights case against Irvine, California Mayor Christina Shea.
The City of Irvine will pay a sum of money to Mr. West on behalf of Mayor Shea to settle allegations that the mayor violated Mr. West s First Amendment rights by blocking him from posting on her personal Facebook profile after West was critical of online comments Shea made concerning the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement.
Filed on July 20, 2020, the complaint alleged Mayor Shea used her Facebook profile as a public forum and committed viewpoint discrimination and censorship when she block