Yolo County Moms for Liberty Settles Lawsuit
The local chapter of Moms for Liberty reached a settlement Tuesday with Yolo County in its federal lawsuit alleging the shutdown of a contentious meeting at a Davis library last year violated the group’s civil rights.
The agreement calls for the county to pay $70,000 in damages and attorneys’ fees, as well as a policy change that would prohibit library staff from interfering in speech delivered during future presentations or events.
Filed last December in U.S. District Court, the lawsuit alleged Yolo County violated free speech and equal protection rights when its regional librarian shut down the Aug. 20, 2023, presentation at the Stephens Branch Library regarding transgender participation in women’s sports.
In addition to the county, the lawsuit named as defendants Yolo County Librarian Diana Lopez and Regional Librarian Scott Love. The shutdown became the subject of national media coverage and multiple anonymous emailed bomb threats targeting schools, educators and library staff.
“Women have the right to speak about their concerns regarding men competing in their sports, and public officials have a constitutional duty to uphold that right regardless of whether they agree with the point of view presented,” said Tyson Langhofer, senior counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom, which filed the lawsuit along with the Institute for Free Speech.