St. Helens mayor cites free speech in move to dismiss ex-chief’s lawsuit

(Columbia County Spotlight) -- In response to the former St. Helens police chief’s lawsuit against her, Mayor Jennifer Massey maintains that her actions constitute free speech.

The mayor’s lawyer filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit against her by Joe Hogue, the city’s former chief of police, under a state law designed to prevent frivolous lawsuits that seek to deter individuals from exercising their First Amendment rights to free speech. The law protects speech that arises out of legislative or judicial proceedings...