A woman arrested after she posted a “Game of Thrones” GIF to a Tempe councilman’s Facebook page has filed a $3 million claim against Tempe for speech retaliation, false arrest, defamation and abuse of process.
The claim, filed Feb. 25, says Tempe violated Kathleen Tierney’s First, Fourth and 14th Amendment rights. Tierney lost her six-figure job and future earning capacity, endured immense reputational damage and “suffered substantial emotional distress, anxiety, and humiliation as a direct result” of the city’s actions, the notice says.
Tierney posted the GIF on Tempe Councilman Randy Keating’s Facebook page in August. The photo showed a woman’s silhouetted figure overlooking a Valley engulfed by a green smoke explosion. The caption referenced the night’s meeting…