MONTICELLO – The Connecticut man who was stopped for speeding in the Village of Liberty and sent his traffic ticket into the court changing “Liberty” Town Court to “Tyranny” Town Court along with vulgarities written across the ticket, has reached a monetary settlement with Sullivan County.
William Barboza was arrested and charged with aggravated harassment after
he returned the ticket with the “F-bomb” scrawled across the
front. A local judge was enraged by Barboza’s language, but Federal
Judge Cathy Seibel said the town violated his right to free speech and
dismissed the charge.
Barboza filed suit against the village and the county. The county was named because an assistant district attorney was involved in the prosecution.
On Thursday, Sullivan County Legislature Chairman Luis Alvarez said the
county settled.
The county agreed to pay Barboza $30,000 in damages and $45,000 in legal fees to his attorneys, said Alvarez.
Judge Seibel found that Barboza was deprived of his First Amendment right to free speech when he was charged in the local court.
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