A Tennessee woman who was fined hundreds of dollars for her provocative political yard sign won almost $32,000 after bringing a First Amendment lawsuit against her community.
Julie Pereira put up a banner in her front yard earlier this year that read “Fuck ‘Em Both 2024.” However, it did not take long for neighbors to complain, and a code enforcement officer from the Memphis suburb of Lakeland fined Pereira for violating a city statute prohibiting obscene signs.
She briefly censored her sign before filing a lawsuit last month. On Wednesday, lawyers on both sides sought approval for a settlement that declared the city’s actions unlawful and set aside $31,000 for Pereira’s legal fees, plus several hundred dollars in damages and costs.
“Being able to tell politicians to fuck themselves is a sacred American right,” one of Pereira’s lawyers, Daniel A. Horwitz, told Business Insider via email. “We are proud to have protected Mrs. Pereira’s right to express her political views and to have achieved a successful outcome in this important First Amendment case.”
Pereira stated in her lawsuit that she is dissatisfied with both major contenders, President Joe Biden and Donald Trump, for the forthcoming November election. But her election sign isn’t the only thing to irritate local officials. In May Pereira successfully sued the city when it reprimanded her for a Christmas decoration that featured obscene language in a reference to the 1989 comedy film “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.”
When she first protested the violation for her “Fuck ‘Em Both” sign, the court stated it wasn’t obvious whether “both” referred to Biden or Trump, according to a transcript. A code enforcement officer stated that at least ten neighbors had complained, including one who claimed they would not have purchased a home in the vicinity if Pereira’s sign had been up.
The judge also mentioned Pereira’s earlier conflict with the city and suggested that jail term was one option.
“I will warn you, I don’t want to see you back in here,” the judge stated.
“Your Honor, I do not want to see the City of Lakeland continue to violate my First Amendment rights,” Pereira told you.
City officials did not react to an email sent on July 4, a US holiday.
