Supreme Court sides with Florida man in free speech case

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is siding with a man who sued the Florida city where he lives after being arrested for his speech during a public comment portion of a city council meeting.

The justices sided Monday with Fane Lozman in a case involving his arrest at a 2006 city council meeting in south Florida’s City of Riviera Beach. Lozman believes he was arrested in retaliation for being an outspoken critic of the city.

But a lower court said Lozman was barred from bringing a lawsuit for retaliation because a jury found a police officer had probable cause to arrest him for disturbing a lawful assembly.

The high court disagreed, ruling that the existence of probable cause for an arrest shouldn’t bar Lozman from bringing his case.