An Idaho coffee shop owner won her case against Boise State University administrators after being pressured to move off campus for displaying a pro-police flag. A jury delivered the verdict Friday, Sept. 13, awarding Sarah Jo Fendley $4 million.
Fendley, who owns Big City Coffee, filed a $10 million tort claim against the university in 2021 after it terminated her contract. Fendley said her business was removed from campus because she displayed a “thin blue line” flag during the George Floyd protests in 2020. Fendley said the closure was a violation of her First Amendment rights.
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The jury awarded Fendley $3 million in damages for business losses, mental and emotional distress, personal humiliation and lost reputation. The jury also awarded another $1 million in punitive damages.
The BSU administrators involved in the lawsuit said they plan to appeal the decision to Idaho’s Supreme Court.
