Lone cyclist responds to @POTUS motorcade shortly after departing Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Va. (Photo: @b_smialowski/@AFP) pic.twitter.com/MKM1kVIyTY
— Steve Herman (@W7VOA) October 29, 2017
I was fired from my job for flipping off @realDonaldTrump. Today, I filed suit with @GellerLawyers & @protctdemocracy because what happened to me was unlawful and un-American.
— juli_briskman (@julibriskman) April 4, 2018
Fear of illegal government retaliation is not an excuse for a government contractor to fire an American who chooses to express her opinion of the administration in power. @protctdemocracy @GellerLawyers Read about my lawsuit here: https://t.co/Q3CWhP7KF7
— juli_briskman (@julibriskman) April 4, 2018
WASHINGTON — In October 2017, an image showing Juli Briskman from Sterling, Virginia, giving President Trump’s motorcade the middle finger went viral, but it also reportedly led to the single mother of two being dismissed from her job.
On April 4, Briskman announced she was filing a lawsuit against her former company Herndon, Virginia-based Akima LLC.
The suit alleges when Akima forced her to resign, it violated Virginia employment law.
Briskman made the gesture on Oct. 28 as she was riding her bike near Trump’s golf club in Sterling and saw the president’s motorcade leaving the club.
Journalists accompanying Trump captured her message to the president and shared the images online.
Although Briskman’s face is not visible in the photo, she disclosed the incident to her bosses at Akima after the image went viral.
According to the lawsuit, “they forced her to resign, claiming that Ms. Briskman’s posting of a photograph of the incident on her Facebook page … violated Akima’s social media policy.”
Briskman’s suit states that it violates Virginia employment law for a government contractor to fire an employee out of fear of unlawful government retaliation.
“I criticized @realDonaldTrump, but I never thought I would lose my job b/c I live in the world’s greatest Democracy. I am fighting back because no American should have to choose between their pocketbooks & their principles,” Briskman tweeted.
She added she expects to win the case.
