ACLU settles case of man arrested for recording friend's arrest

By Eric W. Dolan
The Raw Story
Sep. 08, 2011

The American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania has won a $48,500 settlement from a lawsuit brought on behalf of man arrested for videotaping a University of Pittsburgh police officer.

"This settlement underscores the fact that one of the cornerstones of our constitutional democracy is the right to document the actions of our public officials," said Glen Downey, from the law firm Healey & Hornack, P.C., who is handling the case as an ACLU of Pennsylvania cooperating attorney.

"Allowing officers to criminally charge people for peaceably recording the officer's interaction with the public puts too much unfettered discretion in the hands of those very people who might well have reason to shield public eyes from their conduct," he continued.

Elijah Matheny was arrested and charged with a felony violation of Pennsylvania's Wiretap Act in April 2009 after using his cell phone to record the detention and questioning of a friend by a police officer.

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