From the InBox:
Orlando Sanchez applauds the Texas 14th Court of Appeals Decision in Assault Case
On December 28, 2018, Orlando Sanchez stood as the lone conservative advocating on behalf of all Houston’s school children. In a widely publicized press conference, Orlando stood silent as union and Antifa-inspired protesters threatened him and others in attendance. Finally, after multiple calls to the police for protection, Orlando was assaulted from behind by having a bottle of water poured on his head. The assault was captured by every camera in attendance.
Sanchez sued the assailant, who won dismissal in a District Court under the Texas Citizens Participation Act (TCPA). The trial court opined that the assault was protected under free speech and under the TCPA and dismissed Sanchez’s case because Sanchez sought to silence the assailant. Sanchez appealed the ruling to the 14th Court of Appeals. Even the Houston Chronicle’s Editorial Board decided to pile on Sanchez, giving his lawsuit against his assailant a “Thumbs Down”, describing the suit as, “frivolous”.
This morning, in a landmark case, the COA ruled that the TCPA does not provide a shield to those who commit assaultive acts in the name of political protest. “We hold that the TCPA cannot reasonably be construed to protect assault as an exercise of the right of free speech. Assuming that (the assailant) intended to communicate a message on a matter of public concern by his act of pouring water on Sanchez, we do not construe the TCPA to apply to such conduct because doing so contravenes the act’s express purpose and would lead to absurd results the legislature could not have intended”, the Opinion stated.
In reaction to the COA’s ruling, Sanchez stated, “It’s a great day in Texas when the Court of Appeals recognizes a citizen’s right to speak in the public square, without fear of assault.”
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Good. A lot of people laughed at Orlando for doing this but not me. You might think that a bottle of water being poured over your head for speaking out is cool but maybe someone is not quite as peaceful as Orlando and would beat the crap out of that idiot. Which would be perfectly fine by me but they would probably get arrested.
Keep going O.
Let the record show I concur with the ruling. Refresh my memory. Didn’t Orlando lose to Lee.P.Brown an a run-off after Turner came in third in the general? I voted for Orlando in a mayoral race somewhere back there.
“”….but maybe someone is not quite as peaceful as Orlando and would beat the crap out of that idiot. Which would be perfectly fine by me but they would probably get arrested.
How perfectly you have captured the essence of my feelings when I saw that happen. I said to myself, “Ol’ boy needs his ass beat.” You’re also perfectly spot on with the second part….facing arrest for performing that public service ass beating.
The reason we see the rioting/looting/thuggery/people being menaced while eating at restaurants is…..fear of being arrested for beating the asses of rioters. This is what is wrong with this country. We used to have a sense of decorum, we all understood what was not acceptable, so people didn’t act out like this. I would NEVER even consider doing something like that, and would never encourage anyone else to do so. But the DNC shock troops and their hangers on either no longer understand, or more probably, emboldened by the George Soros purchase of America’s district attorneys, don’t care about societal norms like don’t assault people.
This is exactly why the guy who attacked Orlando felt like he could do what he did with zero consequences.
It is almost impossible for me to fathom that a court would actually rule that the unwanted pouring of water over someone is not an assault.
I confess I was unfamiliar with this situation until I read it here. I can’t imagine how a lower court ruled that an assault was protected speech. Judge must be a total moron.