DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — A federal judge has ordered former DeKalb County House Representative Vernon Jones to pay $45,652 in damages and legal fees to a man he blocked from his Facebook page.
Jones blocked DeKalb County resident Tomas Miko from his Facebook page after they exchanged comments and political opinions in 2020 when Jones was a state representative.
After the exchange, Jones deleted Miko’s comments.
Jones began his career as a Democrat, but switched to the Republican party in 2021 after he endorsed former President Donald Trump for re-election in 2020. He ran against Gov. Brian Kemp in the 2022 Republican gubernatorial primary but lost. He lost a run for the U.S. House as well.
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Miko filed a federal lawsuit against Jones, claiming Jones deleted Miko’s comments to silence his criticism.
U.S. District Judge Stephen Grimberg said in a decision issued last year, that when public figures block constituents from their social media profiles to prevent them from expressing opposing viewpoints, that constitutes “viewpoint discrimination.”
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On Tuesday, Grimberg awarded $8,000 to Miko for compensatory damages.
Grimberg also ordered Jones to pay $37,652 in costs and legal fees to Miko’s attorneys.
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