MONTPELIER, Vt. (WCAX) – A Vermont man arrested in 2018 for allegedly flipping off a trooper has settled a lawsuit against the Vermont State Police.
In 2018, Gregory Bombard was pulled over by Tpr. Jay Riggen for allegedly giving the trooper the middle finger — something Bombard denies. In a lawsuit later filed by the ACLU, the group says that after he was detained and questioned, Bombard cursed and did give the trooper the finger. The trooper arrested him for disorderly conduct, a charge that was dismissed a year later.
In the 2021 lawsuit, the ACLU — along with the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression — said the initial stop not only violated Bombard’s rights to be free from unreasonable seizure and false arrest, but also that giving the middle finger is free expression protected by the First Amendment.
As part of the settlement, Bombard receives $100,000 in damages and $75,000 in legal fees.
“With this settlement, I hope the Vermont State Police will train its troopers to avoid silencing criticism or making baseless car stops. And at least now I can pay my criminal attorney for defending me from the bogus charges and take my 88-year-old mother out for a nice dinner,” Bombard said in a statement.