Saturday, January 26, 2013

Man Arrested While Protesting the TSA Just Won Right to GO to Trial for $250,000 in Damages

Wired reports:
A Virginia man who wrote an abbreviated version of the Fourth Amendment on his body and stripped to his shorts at an airport security screening area won a trial Friday in his lawsuit seeking $250,000 in damages for being detained on a disorderly conduct charge.
Aaron Tobey claimed in a civil rights lawsuit (.pdf) that in 2010 he was handcuffed and held for about 90 minutes by the Transportation Security Administration at the Richmond International Airport after he began removing his clothing to display on his chest a magic-marker protest of airport security measures.

(ht Luke Rudkowski)

11 comments:

  1. Huh!? The fourth amendment is now a statment of protest? Makes me wonder...How much does it cost to relinquish US citizenship?

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    1. $450 to process emigration requests. But that is only if they accept your request. Also, they can deem that you are doing it for tax reasons and levy special fines against any assets you still have in the states.

      So...it costs whatever they want it to!

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  2. This outcome is impressive. One problem I may have is the fact that the taxpayers may be picking up this bill.

    I hope he sued the TSA agents personally, and/or other private entities. This would be a powerful voice against getting a job with the TSA in the first place.

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    1. Since taxation is theft, what does it matter? If a thief steals my money, I don't really care if someone else then steals it from him.

      In fact, that would make me feel better.

      Delete
  3. While I applaud the victory this young man as achieved, I also have to acknowledge that the TSA agents and police who were involved in detaining him will NOT pay this judgment. Instead, the taxpayers will be soaked yet again for the crimes of those they, unfortunately, employ.

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    1. Good. Maybe we can bankrupt the morons that think that taxes are a good thing, and protestors like this can get rich.

      I wish every civil liberty lawsuit ended up in million dollar payouts. Soon, the people would begin to defend civil liberties.

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    2. Until we all unite and STOP PAYING TAXES, the only people going bankrupt will be the middle class.

      Delete
  4. I'm not sure if we the taxpayers will necessarily pay for his winnings directly. It will be more like a 0.000001% intensification of the eventual crack-up boom we'll experience.

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  5. Don't worry, folks. We don't have to pay for anything- we can just sell more Treasuries. I read it on Krugman's blog. - RJD

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  6. I don't care where the money comes from. I hate the TSA.

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  7. Your headline is not correct. This man did not win $250,000 in damages, yet. All he won is a right to a trial in which he can claim those damages. The body of the article, as quoted above, says he "won a trial." A reading of the linked court opinion confirms this. What happened was that the TSA made a motion to dismiss the complaint. It was this motion to dismiss that was appealed. The Appellate court ruled that the trial may proceed, that is all. Good luck to him though.

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