The lawsuit filed by a photojournalist against the California Highway Patrol is set for motion, as the trial is scheduled in late February.
Steve Eberhard, the freelance photojournalist from Northern California has filed a suit against the California Highway Patrol when he was covering a protest in the area. Eberhard claims that his arrest meant that the CHP violated his constitutional rights.
The trial has been set for February 22 this year, two years after Eberhard was arrested by CHP officers. Eberhard was covering a protest for The Willits News, and the protest was against the Caltrans freeway project, which is also known as the Willits Bypass in Mendocino County.
The photojournalist was detained for several hours in jail, and no criminal charges were filed against him. Duffy Carolan, Eberhard's attorney, stated in a report by ABC 7 News, that CHP officers tried to harass and intimidate the photojournalist and prevented him from covering the controversial protest.
Since litigation for the case is currently ongoing, representatives from the California Highway Patrol declined to comment on the matter. Eberhard's lawsuit claims that the officers violated his First and Fourteenth Amendment rights. Eberhard is seeking unspecified damages.
The photojournalist initially filed a case against the CHP, three of its officers, as well as against Caltrans. The same report by ABC 7 states that a settlement has been agreed with Caltrans, and charges against the agency have been dropped.
"As a photojournalist for The Willits News it was my job to document the Willits bypass construction and protests over the construction in a fair and impartial way," said Eberhard, in a statement published by The Willits News on January 2014.
"The Willitts bypass is highly controversial and many people in the area want to know what is going on. I am credentialed with The Willits News press pass and a Mendocino County Sheriff's press pass. Practically anywhere else this allows me to cross police lines," added Eberhard in the same statement.
Eberhard has a decorated career in photojournalism. His photos have appeared numerous times on ABC7 News. In 2014, Eberhard was awarded the James Madison Freedom of Information Award by the Society of Professional Journalists for his stellar coverage of the same protest he was arrested for.
