United States District Court Southern District of Ohio Western Division Cameron Padgett
United States District Court Southern District of Ohio Western Division Cameron Padgett
NOW COMES Cameron Padgett (“Plaintiff”), by and through Attorney Kyle J. Bristow of
Bristow Law, PLLC, and hereby propounds upon Neville G. Pinto (“Defendant”) and this
I. INTRODUCTION
violated Plaintiff’s right to free speech—as guaranteed to Plaintiff by the First and Fourteenth
security fee if Plaintiff elects to rent a publicly available room on the campus of the University of
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Cincinnati (“UC”) in order for Plaintiff to host Richard Spencer (“Spencer”) of the National Policy
Institute (“NPI”) as a speaker—in addition to other speakers, including but not limited to
Plaintiff—to share with attendees of said event their identitarian and Alt-Right political
philosophies.
II. PARTIES
2. Plaintiff is an adult natural person, a citizen by birth of the United States of America, and
responsible for all policies enacted and enforced at UC—including the deprivation of Plaintiff’s
constitutional rights challenged herein. Defendant is sued in his personal and official capacities
as an agent of UC. At all times relevant to the instant controversy, Defendant acted under the color
of state law.
4. This Court enjoys subject matter jurisdiction over the instant civil action because the
controversy involves a federal question about Plaintiff’s constitutional right to free speech being
5. This Court enjoys personal jurisdiction over Defendant because Defendant is subject to the
jurisdiction of a court of general jurisdiction within the State of Ohio since Defendant is located
in the State of Ohio and Defendant did and caused tortious injury to Plaintiff in the State of Ohio.
6. Venue is appropriate with this Court because a substantial part of the events or omissions
giving rise to Plaintiff’s claims occurred in the Court’s jurisdictional district. 28 U.S.C. §
1391(b)(2).
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At all times relevant to the instant controversy, Plaintiff does not engage in or advocate criminal
conduct.
9. Plaintiff is a supporter of Spencer and Plaintiff has organized a number of events at college
campuses at which Spencer and other identitarian and Alt-Right political activists invited by
which advocates the preservation of national identity, a return to traditional Western values, and
advances European racial interests. Race-based preferential treatment for non-Europeans (a/k/a
affirmative action), non-European immigration to European countries and their former colonies,
international free trade agreements, radical feminism, sexual deviancy, and the ideology of
11. Spencer is arguably the foremost advocate for Alt-Right philosophy in the world and is
rapidly becoming a major figure in contemporary American politics. Spencer graduated from the
University of Virginia with a Bachelor of Arts degree, the University of Chicago with a Master of
Arts degree, and pursued a Ph.D. in modern European intellectual history at Duke University. At
all times relevant to the instant controversy, Spencer does not engage in or advocate criminal
conduct.
12. NPI is a think-tank based in City of Alexandria, Commonwealth of Virginia, for which
Spencer serves as its figurehead. NPI promotes Alt-Right philosophy through its publications and
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private and public events. At all times relevant to the instant controversy, NPI does not advocate
criminal conduct.
13. Due to the political viewpoint of Plaintiff, Spencer, and NPI, people who are politically
objectionable. Activists affiliated with the Antifa political movement have previously violently
attacked Spencer and Spencer’s supporters at venues at which Spencer and Spencer’s supporters
peacefully assembled with the explicit goal of shutting down their events.
organization of radically left-wing activists who resort to violence as a matter of practice to try to
in black and wearing masks to conceal their identities, Antifa activists routinely show up to
politically right-of-center, identitarian, and Alt-Right events with baseball bats, knives, sticks,
pepper spray, and other weapons to attack their political opponents. Antifa activists often throw
water balloons filled with urine and other harmful objects at politically right-of-center, identitarian,
15. UC is a public university principally located in City of Cincinnati, Hamilton County, State
of Ohio. UC is organized under the laws of the State of Ohio pursuant to R.C. §§ 3361.01, et seq.
16. Defendant, as the president of UC, is—upon information and belief—the highest-ranking
authority figure who makes and implements policy decisions for UC.
which venues on UC’s campus are advertised as being publicly available for rent—which includes
the Tangeman University Center, which Plaintiff attempted to rent for Plaintiff’s planned event.
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18. On September 26, 2017, Plaintiff contacted UC to rent a publicly available room on UC’s
campus for Plaintiff’s planned event. Plaintiff was—and is still—prepared to pay the reasonable
19. On September 26, 2017, Ethan Portune (“Portune”) who works for UC’s Conferences and
Hi Cameron,
Thank you for reaching out to the University of Cincinnati Conference and Event
Services. In order to reserve Kingsgate you will need to contact Donald Lee
[email protected] as we do not handle bookings there personally.
We also have an opening in our UC Great Hall on the date you requested that would
fit your needs if you would like to book through us. I have attached the link below
that contains pictures of Great Hall if that might interest you. If you have any other
questions please let me know.
***
Thank you,
Ethan Portune
Ethan,
Thanks for reaching out so quickly. I think you are right. That would be a better
venue to book. 10/26 from 7-9pm would be a good date for us also. The speaker
Richard Spencer is controversial so I wanted to be clear on that. I am booking this
space in my own capacity. Let me know what you think. You can put us in that
time slot. Thanks, Cameron
Hi Cameron,
Yes we would be able to book your event on 10/26, the rental fee is $1500 for your
event. If this works then I can begin to draft your contract and get that sent out. If
you have any more questions please let me know.
Thank you,
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Ethan Portune
Mr. Padgett,
Thank you.
23. Upon information and belief, on October 12, 2017, the UC Board of Trustees (“UC
Trustees”) held a special, closed-door session that lasted for hours at which the UC Trustees
discussed whether Plaintiff would be permitted to rent a publicly available room on UC’s campus.
Parker, T.J. “University of Cincinnati hasn’t reached a decision about white nationalist speaker.”
<http://www.wcpo.com/news/education/higher-education/uc-news/university-of-cincinnati-to-
the public about Plaintiff’s request to rent a publicly available room at said university. On the
acknowledged that Defendant is obligated to comply with the First Amendment to the United
25. UC, by and through Defendant, has in fact refused to permit Plaintiff to rent a publicly
available room on UC’s campus—unless Plaintiff pays an exorbitant fee for security—to exercise
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Plaintiff’s right to free speech at which Plaintiff would host identitarian and Alt-Right activists to
26. On December 14, 2017, UC Vice President for Legal Affairs & General Counsel Lori A.
Ross (“Ross”) informed Plaintiff’s undersigned attorney that Plaintiff could rent Zimmer Hall on
March 14, 2018, from 10:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. if Plaintiff pays $11,333.00 for the same.
27. By letter dated December 15, 2017, Ross informed Plaintiff’s undersigned attorney that the
rental fee for the room would be $500 and that “security costs and fees” would amount to
$10,833.00.
events/faq.html> at which UC informs the public that UC determines the cost of security fees for
people to rent publicly available rooms on its campus in part by the criterions of “Is the
event/speaker controversial?” and “Have any threats been received?” Such criterions constitute
29. The criterions used by UC to calculate the rental fees for events on its campus give
unconstitutionally overly broad discretion to UC to assess security costs, and such is facially
30. The criterions used by UC to calculate the rental fees for events on its campus explicitly
authorizes UC to “examine the content of the message conveyed, estimate the public response to
that content, and judge the number of police necessary to meet that response”—which is
31. Defendant’s decision to charge Plaintiff for security if Plaintiff is to rent a publicly
available room on UC’s campus due to the controversial subject matter of Plaintiff’s proposed
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event and/or violence implicitly or explicitly threatened by politically left-of-center and Antifa
protesters and not by the speakers of said event constitutes unconstitutional content discrimination
in the form of a heckler’s veto. See Forsyth County, supra; Sonnier v. Crain, 613 F.3d 436 (5th
Cir. 2010); Bible Believer’s v. Wayne County, 805 F.3d 228, 247 (6th Cir. 2015).
32. Upon information and belief, there is an alarming trend in the United States of America in
which politically right-of-center events hosted on the campuses of public universities require
costly security measures to be utilized to try to prevent violent left-of-center political terrorists
from causing property damage or personal injury to the event venues and people who are
sympathetic with the speakers’ right-of-center political views. For example, the University of
Florida spent nearly $600,000.00 to provide security for Spencer to speak there for two hours, 1
security for a brief speech by conservative commentator Ann Coulter,2 the University of
1
Calfas, Jennifer. “How Much White Nationalist Richard Spencer Is Costing the University of
Florida.” <http://time.com/money/4987460/how-much-white-nationalist-richard-spencer-is-
costing-the-university-of-florida/>. 18 October 2017.
2
Schellong, Megan. “Here’s how much security costs when an incentiary speaker comes to
campus.” <http://college.usatoday.com/2017/09/13/heres-how-much-security-costs-when-an-
incendiary-speaker-comes-to-campus/>. 13 September 2017.
3
Gecker, Jocelyn. “The Cost of Free Speech Isn’t Cheap at UC Berkeley.”
<https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2017-09-14/uc-berkeley-under-tight-security-
for-conservative-speaker>. 15 September 2017.
4
Lerner, Kira. “Berkeley plans $1 million spend on security for Milo Yiannopoulos’ event amid
massive budget cuts.” <https://thinkprogress.org/berkeley-free-speech-cost-c140085b8cc0/>. 22
September 2017.
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organizers who espouse politically right-of-center political ideas, then such would result in de facto
college campuses due to the massive security costs that directly and proximately are a product of
ideas—and speech in support thereof—to be inflammatory, neither Plaintiff nor Spencer speak in
a manner that “is directed to inciting or producing imminent lawless action and is likely to incite
or produce such action.” See Brandenburg v. Ohio, 395 U.S. 444 (1969).
34. Defendant has no reason to believe that Plaintiff, Spencer, or anyone else who Plaintiff
would invite to speak at Plaintiff’s planned UC event will in fact engage in and/or advocate
35. Upon information and belief, Defendant finds identitarian and Alt-Right philosophy to be
36. Plaintiff is neither an employee nor agent of Spencer or NPI. When Plaintiff contacts
possible venues to inquire about renting publicly available rooms for Plaintiff’s planned events to
promote identitarian and Alt-Right philosophy, Plaintiff does so in Plaintiff’s personal capacity.
When Plaintiff corresponded with agents of UC, Plaintiff made it unequivocally clear that Plaintiff
was attempting to rent a room in Plaintiff’s personal capacity and not on behalf of Spencer or NPI.
Had UC provided Plaintiff an acceptable contract for the requested room rental, Plaintiff fully
intended to enter into it in Plaintiff’s personal capacity, and Plaintiff would have himself paid for
the rental of the room out of Plaintiff’s personal finances. Defendant refused Plaintiff the
opportunity for Plaintiff to exercise his own right to free speech by prohibiting Plaintiff from
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renting the room for the purpose intended by Plaintiff unless Plaintiff paid an unconstitutionally
37. To date, Plaintiff has arranged for Plaintiff, Spencer, and other invited guests to speak at
Auburn University and the University of Florida. At these events, Plaintiff and other identitarian
and Alt-Right political activists invited by Plaintiff to participate spoke about their philosophies.
For example, at Auburn University, Spencer, Attorney Sam Dickson, and Michael “Enoch”
Peinovich (“Peinovich”) of The Right Stuff spoke, and at the University of Florida Peinovich,
Elliott “Eli Mosley” Kline of Identity Evropa, Spencer, and Plaintiff spoke.
38. Spencer’s April 2011 event at Providence College—which was organized by someone
with a megaphone and briefly disrupting the event, the event otherwise proceeded without
disruption.
39. Spencer’s December 2016 event at Texas A&M University—which was organized by
40. Plaintiff’s April 2017 event at Auburn University can be viewed on YouTube at
41. Plaintiff’s October 2017 event at the University of Florida can be viewed on YouTube at
left-of-center protesters repetitively chanting and yelling throughout the event and the police
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officers at the event unconstitutionally refusing to maintain order so that the protesters could drown
42. Plaintiff desires to host Plaintiff’s proposed event at UC so as to educate the students of
UC and Ohioans in general about identitarian and Alt-Right philosophy. Plaintiff wants Plaintiff,
Spencer, and Plaintiff’s other invited speakers to be able to safely and meaningfully share with
attendees of the event their political philosophies—and for people who are opposed to the
speakers’ ideas to have a meaningful opportunity to respectfully challenge the speakers during a
question and answer session following the speakers’ presentations. The best way by which
Plaintiff can share Plaintiff’s philosophy with UC students is by Plaintiff having Plaintiff’s
43. Plaintiff is entitled to an award of punitive damages against Defendant because Defendant
caused harm to Plaintiff that was malicious, oppressive, and/or in reckless disregard of Plaintiff’s
rights.
44. Defendant does not enjoy qualified immunity for Defendant’s tortious conduct Defendant
committed against Plaintiff, because the right of a citizen of the United States of America to speak
about controversial political subject matter over the objection of people in opposition to the same
who threaten disruption is clearly established constitutional law—and a price tag cannot be affixed
to the exercise of the right to speak freely in the form of security costs being determined by the
content of the speech or a community’s hostile reaction to the same. See Forsyth County, supra;
Sonnier, supra; Bible Believer’s, supra; Smith v. Ross, 482 F.2d 33, 37 (6th Cir. 1973) (“[S]tate
officials not entitled to rely on community hostility as an excuse not to protect, by inaction or
affirmative conduct, the exercise of fundamental rights.”); Tinker v. Des Moines Independent
Community School District, 393 U.S. 503 (1969) (holding that the First Amendment applies to
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public schools); Widmar v. Vincent, 454 U.S. 263 (1981) (holding that when a public university
opens its facilities to the public for use, the university creates a forum subject to the First
Amendment); Rosenberger v. University of Virginia, 515 U.S. 819 (1995) (holding that a public
university may not discriminate against a point of view in a limited public forum such a university
creates); Lamb’s Chapel v. Center Moriches Union Free School District, 508 U.S. 384 (1993)
(holding that a public school which opens its facilities to the public creates a limited public forum
and the school cannot engage in viewpoint discrimination); McCauley v. University of the Virgin
Islands, 618 F.3d 232 (3rd Cir. 2010) (providing an excellent summary of the clear differences
between high schools and colleges and the important rationales underlying the different speech
rights afforded to people at each); First Amendment to the United States Constitution; Fourteenth
Amendment to the United States Constitution; see also “Guide to Free Speech on Campus, Second
<https://dfkpq46c1l9o7.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/FIRE-Guide-to-Free-
Speech-on-Campus-2nd-ed.pdf>. 2012.
45. Irrespective of whether or not Defendant enjoys qualified immunity, “[q]ualified immunity
only shields government officials from monetary damages, not from injunctive relief[.]” Ward v.
Polite, 667 F.3d 727, 742 (6th Cir. 2012) (citations omitted).
V. CAUSES OF ACTION
COUNT I
DEFENDANT VIOLATED PLAINTIFF’S
FIRST AND FOURTEENTH AMENDMENT RIGHT TO FREE SPEECH
42 U.S.C. § 1983
46. The foregoing paragraphs of this Complaint are incorporated by reference as if each is fully
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47. Plaintiff is guaranteed the right to free speech pursuant to the First and Fourteenth
48. Defendant violated Plaintiff’s right to free speech by requiring Plaintiff to pay a non-
nominal fee for security if Plaintiff elects to rent a publicly available room on UC’s campus to host
speakers—including Plaintiff, Spencer, and other identitarian and Alt-Right activists—to share
with attendees of the planned event their identitarian and Alt-Right philosophies. The security fee
was assessed due to the community’s expected hostile reaction to the political viewpoint espoused
49. The criterions of “Is the event/speaker controversial?” and “Have any threats been
received?” used by Defendant to assess security costs for UC events are facially unconstitutional
insofar as such constitutes content discrimination and/or is overly broad. Furthermore, such
52. Due directly and proximately to Defendant having violated Plaintiff’s right to free speech,
WHEREFORE, Plaintiff prays that this Honorable Court will enter judgment in Plaintiff’s
favor against Defendant by awarding Plaintiff: (1) a money judgment against Defendant—in
Defendant’s personal capacity—in the amount of two million dollars ($2,000,000)—or any
amount the factfinder deems just and proper—for general and punitive damages; (2) the reasonable
attorney’s fees and costs incurred by Plaintiff to prosecute the instant civil action pursuant to 42
U.S.C. § 1988(b); and (3) any and all further relief that can be awarded by law or equity.
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COUNT II
DECLARATORY AND INJUNCTIVE RELIEF
53. The foregoing paragraphs of this Complaint are incorporated by reference as if each is fully
54. The Court can and should decree that Defendant violated Plaintiff’s right to free speech by
requiring Plaintiff to pay a non-nominal security fee—based in part upon the community’s
expected hostile reaction to the political viewpoint espoused by Plaintiff or the content of the
proposed event’s speech—to rent a publicly available room on UC’s campus. See 28 U.S.C. §§
55. This Court can and should issue preliminary and permanent injunctions against Defendant
whereby Defendant is ordered to permit Plaintiff to rent a publicly available room on the campus
of UC for a reasonable rental fee to host speakers—including Plaintiff, Spencer, and other
identitarian and Alt-Right activists—to share with attendees of the planned event their identitarian
and Alt-Right philosophies without Plaintiff being required to pay for police protection or posting
bond or providing insurance for the event and which also requires UC to maintain law and order
via the use of law enforcement officers of its police department so as to protect the right of the
attendees of the event to safely speak in a meaningful manner. See Fed. R. Civ. P. 65; Bible
Believers, supra; Forsyth County, supra; Sonnier, supra; Ohio Republican Party v. Brunner, 543
F.3d 357, 361 (6th Cir. 2008) (describing elements for injunctive relief to be awarded); Solid Rock
Foundation v. Ohio State University, 478 F.Supp. 96 (S.D. Ohio 1979) (using Sixth Circuit and
Supreme Court case law to decide whether a preliminary injunction should issue for a First
56. Plaintiff has a likelihood of success on the merits of Plaintiff’s claim that Defendant
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57. Plaintiff will suffer irreparable harm in the form of Plaintiff’s right to free speech being
denied to him should the Court not grant Plaintiff injunctive relief. See Connection Distrib. Co.
v. Reno, 154 F.3d 281, 288 (6th Cir. 1998) (recognizing that the loss of First Amendment rights,
for even a minimal period of time, constitutes irreparable harm); Elrod v. Burns, 427 U.S. 347,
373 (1976) (“The loss of First Amendment freedoms, for even minimal periods of time,
58. The issuance of an injunction to permit Plaintiff to rent a publicly available room on the
campus of UC for a reasonable rental fee to host speakers—including Plaintiff, Spencer, and other
identitarian and Alt-Right activists—to share with attendees of the planned event their identitarian
and Alt-Right philosophies without Plaintiff being required to pay for police protection or posting
bond or providing insurance for the event and which also requires UC to maintain law and order
via the use of law enforcement officers of its police department so as to protect the right of the
attendees of the event to safely speak in a meaningful manner will not cause Defendant to suffer
substantial harm because Defendant is required by constitutional law to do the same anyways.
59. The issuance of an injunction to permit Plaintiff to rent a publicly available room on the
campus of UC for a reasonable rental fee to host speakers—including Plaintiff, Spencer, and other
identitarian and Alt-Right activists—to share with attendees of the planned event their identitarian
and Alt-Right philosophies without Plaintiff being required to pay for police protection or posting
bond or providing insurance for the event and which also requires UC to maintain law and order
via the use of law enforcement officers of its police department so as to protect the right of the
attendees of the event to safely speak in a meaningful manner will serve the public interest because
it is in the public’s interest for the First and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States
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WHEREFORE, Plaintiff prays that this Honorable Court will award Plaintiff (1)
declaratory relief by decreeing that Defendant violated Plaintiff’s right to free speech by requiring
Plaintiff to pay a non-nominal security fee—based in part upon the community’s expected hostile
reaction to the political viewpoint espoused by Plaintiff or the content of the proposed event’s
speech—to rent a publicly available room on UC’s campus and (2) preliminary and permanent
injunctive relief whereby Defendant is ordered to timely permit Plaintiff to rent a publicly available
room on the campus of UC for a reasonable rental fee to host speakers—including Plaintiff,
Spencer, and other identitarian and Alt-Right activists—to share with attendees of the planned
event their identitarian and Alt-Right philosophies without Plaintiff being required to pay for
police protection or posting bond or providing insurance for the event and which also requires UC
to maintain law and order via the use of law enforcement officers of its police department so as to
protect the right of the attendees of the event to safely speak in a meaningful manner.
Pursuant to Fed. R. Civ. P. 38, Plaintiff hereby respectfully demands a trial by jury as to
Respectfully submitted,
/s Kyle J. Bristow
Kyle J. Bristow (#0089543)
P.O. Box 381164
Clinton Twp., MI 48038
(P): (248) 838-9934
(F): (586) 408-6384
(E): [email protected]
Attorney for Cameron Padgett
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