Blogger Drops Lawsuit Against Dearborn Co.

Daniel Brewington

Dearborn County Law

 Enforcement Center

(Lawrenceburg, Ind.) - A lawsuit naming Dearborn County and various officials has been dismissed.

Internet blogger Dan Brewington was convicted by a Dearborn County jury October 6 on five charges including two counts of Intimidation, and single counts of Intimidation, Perjury, and Attempt to Commit Obstruction of Justice. Special Judge Brian Hill of Rush County Circuit Court later sentenced the 37-year-old to five years in prison.

Prior to his trial, Brewington posted almost daily to his blog criticizing the family court system, namely the injustices he felt were dealt to him during his 2007 divorce and child custody case before Dearborn Circuit Court Judge James Humphrey. The Norwood, Ohio resident also focused his web-based attacks on Dr. Edward Connor, a custody evaluator used in the case.

Brewington filed a civil suit in U.S. District Court of Southern Indiana on August 19 naming Prosecutor Aaron Negangard, Sheriff Mike Kreinhop, Circuit Court Judge James Humphrey and his wife Heidi, Dr. Connor, his ex-wife’s attorney Angela Loechel, and Dearborn County as defendants.

In the suit, Brewington claimed his civil rights were violated.

“Defendants acted knowingly and intentionally without regard to Plaintiff’s legal rights in conspiring to deprive the Plaintiff of his liberty for Plaintiff’s postings on the Internet/blogsite, that any average citizen would consider protected speech and the Defendants took action against the Plaintiff to purposely deprive the Plaintiff of rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution,” Brewington’s complaint said.

On Monday – after a four year ordeal where he lost custody of his two daughters, a failed appeal to the Indiana Court of Appeals to overturn Humphrey’s decision, a conviction by a jury, and lost five years of freedom – Brewington filed to dismiss his lawsuit.

The Dearborn County Prosecutor’s Office issued a press release following the dismissal saying the Indiana Attorney General had filed a motion to dismiss on behalf of both Judge Humphrey and Prosecutor Aaron Negangard.

“Furthermore, just last week the Indiana Attorney General had also communicated to Brewington’s counsel, Robert Kelly, an intention to file a motion for sanctions based of the fact that the lawsuit was frivolous and had no merit,” the release said.

Brewington was seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages in the lawsuit.

LINKS:

Blogger Brewington Gets 5 Yrs In Prison

Blogger Guilty Of Threatening To Be Sentenced

Blogger Guilty On Five Of Six Counts

Blogger On Trial For Intimidating Judge

Lawsuit Alleges Free Speech Violation By Dearborn Co. Officials

Blogger's Case Gets New Judge

Blogger Jailed; Allegedly Threatened Dearborn Judge