Settlement reached in federal suit over ‘F*** the police’ signSettlement reached in federal suit over ‘F*** the police’ sign

WELLSVILLE -- A settlement, which has angered the Village of Wellsville administration, has been reached in a civil rights lawsuit filed by Steven Wright in U.S. District Court.

Media partner WKBN reported that the case was settled Wednesday at a mediation conference and was marked "settled and dismissed without prejudice." Details of the settlement have to be filed with the court before March 1.

The amount of the settlement was not disclosed.

Wright filed the lawsuit -- for compensatory damages for pain and suffering, mental anguish, emotional distress, humiliation, embarrassment, and inconvenience along with punitive damages and court costs with interest -- against Wellsville Police Chief Eddie Wilson, two police officers and another employee in August.

The lawsuit stems from Wright's Aug. 28 arrest for disorderly conduct, a fourth-degree misdemeanor, for which charges were dismissed.

Officers arrested Wright after police received multiple phone calls complaining about him holding up a sign that read "F*** the police" in front of the Wellsville First Christian Church on Main Street when children were coming and going from the church.

Wright alleged his right to free speech was violated, he was falsely arrested and denied due process.

Wright recorded officers on his phone but refused to speak to them when they approached him to try to get him to stop, according to story published previously in this newspaper. Wright then went into a house but came back out and continued holding the sign.

According to the lawsuit, Wright spent six hours being held at the police department where he soiled himself because he was denied use of the bathroom.

Wilson disputes the allegation, saying Wright was just inches from a toilet he could have used and if he soiled himself, it was because he wanted to. The officers said soiling himself did not happen.

Wilson said his issue with the situation is that it was a church he stood in front of.

"What about all those people's rights at that church?," Wilson said. "We didn't go after this guy because he had a police sign, we went after him because the people at the church were there, and I was getting the phone calls, and he had many chances to go back to his house and he did and then he come back out. He was looking for trouble."

Wilson also noted that he didn't care if he held the sign up and that he could have held it all day long. But the issue was the location and that it was in front of children who could read the sign and multiple people were complaining about it.

Wilson said the village wasn't even aware that the mediation hearing was taking place. The last communication the department had regarding the lawsuit was several months back when someone from an insurance company came in and asked them what happened.

Wilson said he does not understand why the case was settled instead of going to trial. He would have liked to have been in the court room to explain to the judge that there were children, residents and church people in that area.

"I think it should have went to trial," Wilson said. "I think the story should have come out instead of just paying somebody 'x' amount of dollars."

Wilson also said Wright is still running around flipping off the mayor and police officers.

Wellsville Mayor Bob Boley refused to comment.