Legal Question in Constitutional Law in Illinois
What can I say on a picket sign?
I did some contract work for a charity and they refuse to pay me. Besides that, I have first-hand knowledge of all sorts of other improprieties. I've filed a civil suit against them that is in progress.
Meanwhile, I want to be able to carry a picket sign in front of their office. I realize I can't say that they owe me money or that they are violating some laws. However, can I say something generic like ''Don't donate to X Charity?'' Can I say anything on my sign so long as it is true? I don't want to get sued by them, but want to alert the public in some way to do their own investigating of this charity before they donate.
I'm trying to determine where the dividing line is between alerting the public and being accussed of libel. Thanks in advance for this great service- really appreciated.
1 Answer from Attorneys
Re: What can I say on a picket sign?
The dividing line is where you move from truth to falsehood. You can say that the charity owes you money, as long as it is true. Has the charity told you it believes it does not owe you the money? If so, has it explained its position? Whether it has paid you is one thing, but whether it owes money to you is another.
Whether passersby who see your sign will care is a separate matter. Carrying a sign that says the charity owes you money may be ineffective even if it is perfectly legal.
You can also carry a sign that urges people not to donate as long as it says nothing false or misleading. How effective this sign would be is unclear; is this a charity that many passersby give money to? Picketing the office of an obscure charity is unlikely to affect its bottom line very much.
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