A southwest Iowa man has settled out of court after filing a free speech lawsuit against a sheriff's deputy, his supervisor and the county after he was charged with harassment for writing a social media post that profanely criticized the deputy.The Iowa ACLU says the Adams County Sheriff's office agreed to pay Jon Goldsmith, of Red Oak, $10,000 in damages after charging him for harassment when he posted a criticism of a sheriff's deputy on his own Facebook page.The ACLU of Iowa filed the lawsuit on behalf of Goldsmith, who became angered after attending a festival in Corning and watching an Adams County sheriff's deputy search a car and have a confrontation with another person.Goldsmith later criticized the deputy, Cory Dorsey, in a profane Facebook post that led the sheriff's department to charge Goldsmith with third-degree harassment, a misdemeanor.The charge was later dismissed but the ACLU sued the county, Dorsey and his supervisor, Sgt. Paul Hogan, for what it alleged was a free speech violation.The court also issued a permanent injunction that orders the Adams County Sheriff’s Office to stop criminally charging people who criticize its law enforcement officers. (The lawsuit details two other incidents of deputies arresting people for exercising free speech.) This court order was agreed to by the sheriff’s office as part of the settlement agreement. Also as part of the agreement, the sheriff's office must provide its officers training approved by the ACLU on free speech rights and must adopt a social media policy, also to be approved by the ACLU. Finally, it has agreed to pay the ACLU’s attorney fees.

A southwest Iowa man has settled out of court after filing a free speech lawsuit against a sheriff's deputy, his supervisor and the county after he was charged with harassment for writing a social media post that profanely criticized the deputy.

The Iowa ACLU says the Adams County Sheriff's office agreed to pay Jon Goldsmith, of Red Oak, $10,000 in damages after charging him for harassment when he posted a criticism of a sheriff's deputy on his own Facebook page.


The ACLU of Iowa filed the lawsuit on behalf of Goldsmith, who became angered after attending a festival in Corning and watching an Adams County sheriff's deputy search a car and have a confrontation with another person.

Goldsmith later criticized the deputy, Cory Dorsey, in a profane Facebook post that led the sheriff's department to charge Goldsmith with third-degree harassment, a misdemeanor.

The charge was later dismissed but the ACLU sued the county, Dorsey and his supervisor, Sgt. Paul Hogan, for what it alleged was a free speech violation.

The court also issued a permanent injunction that orders the Adams County Sheriff’s Office to stop criminally charging people who criticize its law enforcement officers. (The lawsuit details two other incidents of deputies arresting people for exercising free speech.)

This court order was agreed to by the sheriff’s office as part of the settlement agreement. Also as part of the agreement, the sheriff's office must provide its officers training approved by the ACLU on free speech rights and must adopt a social media policy, also to be approved by the ACLU. Finally, it has agreed to pay the ACLU’s attorney fees.