Westfield free speech lawsuit in court

WESTFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) - Lawyers for both the ACLU and the Mayor of Westfield will meet Monday at the U.S. District Court in Springfield.

In March, the ACLU filed a lawsuit against Mayor Daniel Knapik, claiming that he violated free speech.

It all stems from an incident that allegedly happened just hours before last year's November election.

The ACLU says Mayor Daniel Knapik placed a call to the DPW, ordering workers to remove campaign signs for Councilor David Flaherty.

The signs were reportedly taken from a private residence on East Silver Street.

According to Councilor Flaherty's lawyers, the two men have a, "contentious" relationship.

Bill Newman, the Director of the western Mass. ACLU says if the allegation is true, it would be a violation of the first amendment.

It's a story the city of Westfield has been following very closely, especially since April, when it was voted on that taxpayer dollars would be used to pay the legal bill for the lawsuit.