Man sues city over arrest after creating parody Facebook page

Associated Press

CLEVELAND

A man acquitted of a felony for creating a fake Facebook page that parodied a suburban Cleveland police department is suing the city, saying they violated his right to free speech.

Anthony Novak filed the lawsuit Tuesday against the city of Parma and three officers.

He created a Facebook page in March 2016 that appeared similar to the page of Parma’s police department, and he posted items suggesting police were performing free abortions for teens. The page also suggested it would be illegal to help the homeless for three months, and it had a recruitment post “strongly encouraging minorities to not apply.”

Parma police announced a probe into the page the day it was created.

Novak, 28, took the page down less than 12 hours after putting it up. Officers sent Facebook a letter requesting that the Menlo Park, Calif.-based company shut the page down, and they issued a subpoena to obtain Novak’s identity.

Novak was charged with disrupting public services, a fourth-degree felony that carries a sentence of up to 18 months in prison.