Goldsmith argues that his free speech rights were violated after he complained on Facebook about perceived abuses of power by Dorsey at a local music festival last July. He ended up getting arrested and charged with simple misdemeanor harassment for that critical Facebook post.
Here are some of the specifics, as communicated by the ACLU of Iowa:
In July 2018, Jon wrote an angry post on his Facebook page that shared a mugshot of someone he knew, which had been posted on the Adams County Sheriff's Office official Facebook page. (The Adams County Sheriff's Office Facebook page consists primarily of mugshots of local people in the community it arrests.) Jon had attended a festival in Corning, the county seat of Adams County, which is next to Montgomery County, where Jon lives.
Jon observed Adams County Sheriff's Deputy Cory Dorsey stopping a motorist for a brake light and conducting a drug dog search of the man's car. No drugs were found, and Jon felt the man was mistreated. Later at the festival, Jon observed Dorsey "body slam" someone else, who he knew, for no reason Jon could observe. Later, when Jon saw a mugshot of the body-slammed man on the Adams County Sheriff's Facebook page, he felt compelled to speak up against what he viewed as improper and abusive police conduct. Jon’s post criticizing the actions of Deputy Dorsey expressed anger and employed curse words. The post didn't threaten or advocate any violent or illegal activity.
Shortly thereafter, the Adams County Sheriff's office charged Jon with third-degree harassment, which carries with it imprisonment of up to 30 days in jail and a maximum fine of $625.
Goldsmith had to hire an attorney, who sought additional assistance from the ACLU of Iowa, which resulted in the charges being eventually dropped. He claims that he suffered "serious distress" as a result of his arrest and subsequent charges and required medical treatment for anxiety, high blood pressure, and breathing difficulties as a result.
Goldsmith's lawsuit is asking the courts to find that his free speech rights were violated by Dorsey, Hogan, and Adams County. It's asking that the court order Dorsey, Hogan, and Adams County to stop criminally charging people for speaking out against law enforcement. It asks that the Adams County Sheriff's Office train its officers about free speech rights. And the lawsuit is asking that Adams County pay damages to Goldsmith for harm resulting from this free speech violation.
You can read the complaint here.