Critics accuse Georgia sheriff of silencing them on social media in lawsuit

Three Georgia residents are accusing Cobb County Sheriff Craig Owens of violating their escaped code rights, alleging successful a suit that helium silenced their captious opinions connected Facebook pursuing a viral incidental successful which helium called deputies to a Burger King implicit a botched order. 

The ineligible filing successful U.S. District Court lists David Cavender – a Republican who unsuccessfully ran against Owens for the sheriff presumption this predetermination play – arsenic 1 of the plaintiffs. 

"Defendant Craig Owens was displeased that definite persons, including the Plaintiffs, were publically criticizing his show arsenic the Sheriff of Cobb County, Georgia," the suit says. "Instead of upholding the First Amendment and stomaching code helium recovered personally distasteful, Owens decided alternatively to utilize the powers of his bureau to censor the code of Plaintiffs, and others, based connected viewpoint." 

An lawyer wrote that successful October, successful the weeks starring up to Election Day, a video that emerged of "Owens utilizing Cobb County Sheriff deputies to intercede successful a idiosyncratic quality with Burger King employees became viral" and that the plaintiffs "had been leveling harsh disapproval against Owens" implicit it and different matters. 

GEORGIA SHERIFF CALLS DEPUTIES FOR HELP AFTER BECOMING UPSET THAT BURGER KING GOT HIS ORDER WRONG 

READ THE FILING BELOW. APP USERS: CLICK HERE

In that March 2023 incident, 3 deputies were dispatched to the fast-food edifice successful Mableton with sirens blaring. 

"Hey, bash maine a favor. I request to get, each I request is the proprietor sanction of whoever owns this damn installation oregon the manager," Owens is heard telling 1 lawman who showed up connected scene. 

"I wanted her [to get his pistillate passenger] a Whopper, nary mayo, chopped successful half, right?" helium continued. 

The sheriff added: "I don’t request nary damn wealth backmost nary more. I conscionable request to find retired who owns this spot truthful I tin bash an authoritative complaint." 

The suit says connected Oct. 29 of this year, Owens enactment successful spot "sweeping restrictions" implicit who tin station comments connected the Cobb County Sheriff Office’s Facebook page. 

EX-GEORGIA POLL WORKER INDICTED FOR MAILING BOMB THREAT TO POLLING PLACE: FBI 

Cobb County Sheriff Craig Owens called his deputies to the Burger King connected Veterans Memorial Highway successful Mableton connected March 4, 2023.  (Cobb County Sheriff's Office)

"On accusation and belief, these restrictions were enactment successful spot due to the fact that of the viewpoint of commenters’ posts grew progressively captious of Owens and his show arsenic Sheriff; successful different words Owens enactment the restrictions successful spot to forestall the look of a viewpoint," the suit says, adding that immoderate of the posts made by the plaintiffs were deleted oregon hidden by the Sheriff’s Office Facebook account. 

The Sheriff’s Office past wrote connected Nov. 1 that it is "committed to providing a harmless and respectful abstraction connected our societal media channels.  

"To support our posts focused connected assemblage information updates and acquisition info, we’ve turned disconnected the comments feature," it added. 

The suit is asking a justice to "declare the actions of Defendant Owens... to beryllium view-point based restrictions successful usurpation of the First Amendment", prohibit his "unlawful signifier of retaliatory censorship" and to forestall him "from deleting comments, blocking posters, oregon restricting commenters to those who are friends oregon referenced wrong posts," among different damages. 

The suit against Cobb County Sheriff Craig Owens states the plaintiffs posted captious comments of him online pursuing an incidental involving the sheriff astatine a Burger King successful Georgia past year. (Getty Images)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP 

Both the Cobb County Sheriff’s Office and the instrumentality steadfast that filed the suit did not instantly respond Thursday to requests for remark from Fox News Digital. 

Fox News’ Landon Mion contributed to this report.