A federal judge in California has ruled that Los Angeles County must face journalist Maya Lau’s lawsuit alleging that the county unlawfully investigated her in retaliation for her reporting about police misconduct.
In a recent 10-page order, Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett of the U.S. District Court of the Central District of California denied the county’s attempt to dismiss the First Amendment lawsuit, concluding that “Lau has plausibly alleged that [the county] violated her rights.” The judge added that “a reasonable jury could find that, by referring Lau for criminal prosecution, [the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s] conduct had the objective effect of chilling speech.”
Garnett’s ruling is an important step forward for journalists seeking to protect their First Amendment rights.
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