A lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court says Westminster police illegally detained a protester in violation of his constitutional right of free speech when he displayed a sign that profanely disparaged police.

Eric Brandt’s attorneys, David Lane and Andy McNulty, filed the civil rights lawsuit on his behalf Monday against the city of Westminster and two police officers, Charles Rush and Ray Esslinger.

Brandt, who has filed two prior civil lawsuits against the city for violation of his free-speech rights, seeks compensatory and punitive damages, attorneys’ fees and “consequential” damages including for emotional distress, loss of reputation and humiliation for the latest suit.

The lawsuit says that at 8 a.m. on June 6, 2014, Brandt was holding a “very large,” homemade sign saying “(obscenity) cops” at the corner of West 76th Avenue and Sheridan Boulevard when several bystanders called him a moron and told him to go home. Other bystanders expressed solidarity with Brandt, the lawsuit says.

Brandt’s intent was to spread awareness about police brutality and misconduct, the lawsuit says.

A Westminster police officer turned on the emergency lights of a city patrol car and drove through a red light to stop Brandt while he was standing on a public sidewalk even though he was not breaking any laws, the lawsuit says.

Officers Rush and Esslinger got out of their car and told Brandt their superiors had ordered them to arrest Brandt. The officers patted Brandt down and detained him for 45 minutes while trying to determine which law Brandt had violated, the lawsuit says.

At Brandt’s suggestion, the officers issued a citation to Brandt charging him with disorderly conduct rather than arresting him, the lawsuit says. Brandt then left the area, it says.

“Mr. Brandt has refrained from displaying his sign at the corner of West 76th Avenue and Sheridan for fear of arrest or additional citations, and has therefore been chilled from engaging in First Amendment activity,” the lawsuit says.

Brandt pleaded not guilty to the the disorderly conduct charge and a judge dismissed the case during a jury trial, the lawsuit says.

The lawsuit says Westminster has a custom of arresting Brandt for carrying the sign. He had been arrested previously two times in England and Irving parks. The charges were all dismissed, the lawsuit says.

Brandt was arrested pursuant to an “unconstitutional” ordinance that criminalized “boisterous, threatening, abusive, insulting or indecent language, or … any disorderly conduct or behavior tending to a breach of the public peace and enjoyment.”

The city of Westminster agreed to a judgment June 2 in which it will pay Brandt $50,000 and the Denver lawfirm of Killmer, Lane & Newman about $30,000, according to court records.

“This is not like a normal settlement where there is no admission of wrongdoing. This is the equivalent of a guilty plea to all charges in a criminal case and Westminster is admitting they violated the Constitution,” Lane said Tuesday.

On Aug. 11, 2014, Westminster Mayor Herb Atchison ordered Brandt out of a city council meeting after Brandt made what the mayor considered offensive remarks, according to the lawsuit. That case is pending.

These actions against Brandt violated his Constitutional right of free speech, the lawsuit says.