Gregory Bombard Received $175,000 Settlement After Being Arrested for Giving Police Officer the Finger – NECN

Vermont has agreed to pay $175,000 to settle a lawsuit on behalf of a man who was charged with a felony for giving the finger to a state trooper in 2018, the chapter announced Wednesday of the American Civil Liberties Union.

The lawsuit was filed in 2021 by the ACLU of Vermont on behalf of Gregory Bombard, of St. Albans. It says Bombard's First Amendment rights were violated after an unnecessary traffic stop and retaliatory arrest in 2018.

On Feb. 9, 2018, Officer Jay Riggen stopped Bombard's vehicle in St. Albans because he believed Bombard had given him the finger, according to the suit. Bombard denied this, but said he swore and gave the middle finger once the initial stop was completed.

Bombard was stopped again and arrested for disorderly conduct, and his car was towed. He was jailed for more than an hour and cited for criminal court, according to the ACLU. The charge was ultimately dismissed.

Under the agreement the parties signed this month, the state agreed to pay Bombard $100,000 and $75,000 to the ACLU of Vermont and the Foundation of Individual Rights and Expression for legal fees. .

“While our client is pleased with this outcome, this incident should never have happened in the first place,” ACLU of Vermont attorney Hillary Rich said in a statement. things they consider offensive or insulting.

Vermont State Police had no comment on the settlement.

Bombard said in a statement provided by the ACLU that he hoped the Vermont State Police would train its troopers “to avoid silencing critics or conducting baseless car stops.”