He flipped off a trooper and got charged. Now Vermont is on the hook for $175,000

ST. ALBANS, Vt. (AP) — Vermont has agreed to pay $175,000 to settle a lawsuit on behalf of a man who was charged with a crime for giving a state trooper the middle finger in 2018. The lawsuit was filed in 2021 by the Vermont chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of Gregory Bombard, of St. Albans. It says Bombard’s First Amendment rights were violated after an unnecessary traffic stop and retaliatory arrest in 2018. The settlement announced Wednesday by the ACLU of Vermont says the state has agreed to pay Bombard $100,000 and $75,000 to the ACLU and the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression for legal fees.