Anthony Novak, 28, is suing the city of Parma, Ohio, for arresting him after he created a parody Facebook page of the police department
A man charged acquitted of a felony for creating a Facebook page that parodied a suburban Cleveland police department is suing the city, saying it violated his right to free speech.
Anthony Novak, 28, launched a lawsuit against the city of Parma and three officers Tuesday.
Authorities say he created a Facebook page in March 2016 that displayed a name similar to Parma’s police department and posted items suggesting police were performing free abortions for teenagers.
The page also suggested it would be illegal to help the homeless for three months and had a recruitment post ‘strongly encouraging minorities to not apply’.
The two pages looked nearly identical. The real page (above) is only distinguished from the parody by the words ‘police station – government organization’
The parody page is seen above and displays the word ‘community’ instead of ‘government organization’
Novak was charged with a felony count of disrupting public services and acquitted after trial in August 2016. Had he been convicted, he would have faced up to 18 months in prison.
The parody Facebook page was online for less than 12 hours before the police department contacted the website and issued a subpoena for Novak’s identity.
A post that was on the parody page allegedly created by Novak announces that a ‘Pedophile Reform’ event will be held outside of a church.
Novak was charged with a felony count of disrupting public services and acquitted after trial in August 2016
‘UPDATE: The City of Parma Police Department will enact a Pedophile Reform event outside of St Anthony of Paduas Church on 5-1-16 in an attempt to reform pedophiles to normality,’ the post reads.
‘We will have multiple learning stations including a ‘No means no’ station filled with puzzles and quizzes.
‘Anyone who passes all of the stations will be removed from the sex offender registry and accepted as an honorary police officer of the Parma Police Department. Have fun out there!’
He is suing the city and three police officers, saying they violated his right to free speech
The lawsuit seeks financial compensation, legal fees and an injunction against Parma police.
This is the second lawsuit Novak has filed against the Parma police department. He dropped the first case in January.
‘No reasonable officer could have believed that the Parody Account’s author intended to disrupt any police services, or that any police services were in fact disrupted,’ says the lawsuit. ‘Rather, Defendants targeted Mr. Novak’s lawful speech because they found it insulting. They decided to expose Mr. Novak’s identity, stop his speech, and punish him.’
One of the fake posts implied that the city would be performing free abortions on teenagers
A parody post said it would be illegal to help homeless people for three months
Another fake post said there would be a ‘pedophile reform’ outside of a church
Police and prosecutors had argued during the trial that the parody Facebook page led to public confusion that distracted 911 dispatchers.
At the trial, dispatchers said they received 10 calls over the 12 hour period regarding the Facebook page.
The trial only lasted for one day of testimony.
Police didn’t immediately respond to messages seeking comment.