Fan Had a Right to Heckle Player at Baseball Game
The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has held that a police officer was not entitled to qualified immunity when he evicted a fan for heckling a player at a Chicago Indians baseball game. The fan, Jeffery Swiecicki, sued the officer for violation of his constitutional right to free speech.
The incident occurred on September 25, 2001, when Swiecicki and several of his friends attended an Indians game at Jacobs Field. During the game, the plaintiff heckled left fielders from both teams and