Iowa man wins lawsuit over calling his hometown stinky

[TexasTowelie]

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa man threatened by city officials with legal action for saying on a website that his hometown smelled like "rancid dog food" won a free-speech lawsuit Thursday when a federal judge prohibited the city from further threats and awarded him damages.

Josh Harms, represented by the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa, filed suit in U.S. District Court earlier this month asking a judge to block Sibley officials from suing him.

City officials said they'd sue if he didn't stop criticizing the town's odor problem from Iowa Drying and Processing, which makes a high-protein animal food supplement from pig blood.

The company moved to a vacant building in Sibley in 2013 and Harms began publishing his protest website in 2015. In December, the city's attorney Daniel DeKoter sent Harms a letter saying Harms was hurting the community with his website and threated a lawsuit if he didn't stop.

Read more: https://www.mysanantonio.com/news/article/Iowa-man-wins-lawsuit-over-calling-his-hometown-12791646.php

[progressoid]

1. I was in Sibley recently, and it did stink. But not any more than a lot of small towns in Iowa.

And even some no-so-small towns.

At some point, we're going to have to seriously address the issue of our state becoming a big animal waste dump.