Mallory Herrmann
citydesk@lstribune.net

Marvin Megee, an alderman in Greenwood, has filed a complaint with the United States district court. Megee names both the city of Greenwood and Levi Weaver, Greenwood’s mayor, and demands a jury trial. The complaint says that Weaver, in both official individual capacity, denied Megee’s freedom of expression in violation of the first amendment of the United States Constitution.

Megee says in the complaint that he posted a sign on Apr. 3 of this year related to the April election and that the sign was posted outside a voting precinct “in an area that did not violate any election laws.” The complaint says that Weaver removed the sign in front of witnesses on the evening of Apr. 3, that a friend of Weaver’s was assigned to investigate the matter after Megee filed a police report, and that the charge was deferred for three months before being dismissed.

The filed complaint also indicates that a “City of Greenwood” Facebook page was operated by Weaver for official city business. Megee says that he was sometimes banned completely from commenting on the page and that some of his critical comments were deleted by Weaver. It requests that the court enter a judgment against the defendants for actual damages, nominal damages, and punitive damages, in addition to legal costs and fees.

Megee resigned his position as Greenwood mayor in 2016. Weaver, then mayor pro tem, was appointed mayor soon after.