A Pittsburgh area man won a $9,000 settlement in a suit filed after he got a disorderly conduct citation for flipping his middle finger at the Sewickley, Pa., fire chief. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says that the borough’s insurance company agreed to pay David Dickinson to settle the case. Dickinson’s attorney said that flipping the bird at the fire chief was protected free speech because it was not meant as a threat or to incite violence.
Dickinson was headed for a baptism when he got stuck in a traffic jam caused by the fire chief. He later gave the chief the finger, and was arrested for disorderly conduct. A judge dismissed the case.