The three were among an estimated 40 to 50 journalists who were arrested covering street protests at the convention in downtown St. Paul, along with about 800 demonstrators and bystanders.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court, alleges that police and other law enforcement officials violated the First Amendment freedoms of Goodman, her producers and other journalists by interfering with their right to gather news.
Goodman's daily program airs on more than 750 radio and TV stations in North America.
"During the RNC, law enforcement arrested journalists without probable cause, physically assaulted them, detained them for lengthy periods, and searched and seized their belongings, including their cameras, video, and other media equipment, even though many of these individuals displayed their press credentials prominently and repeatedly identified themselves as members of the media," the lawsuit claims.
Goodman and producers Nicole Salazar and Sharif Abdel Kouddous are asking the court to issue a permanent injunction against officials to prevent interference with their journalistic rights in the future; to declare the actions that restricted their work unconstitutional; and to award unspecified compensatory and punitive monetary damages, including reimbursement for lost or damaged property and medical expenses.
Salazar and Kouddous were arrested Sept. 1, 2008, on the convention's opening day as riot police massed near the Xcel Energy Center in downtown St. Paul. The complaint says they were visibly wearing their press passes and holding their equipment and identified themselves as journalists.
The complaint says Salazar was videotaping as officers corralled journalists and bystanders in a parking lot. It says the officers pushed her to the ground, knocking her video camera from her hands. Officers slammed Kouddous against a wall after he shouted to officers arresting Salazar that she was a member of the press. And it says Goodman was arrested and pushed to the ground after she went to the arrest site and asked officers to release her producers.
The lawsuit names the cities, their police chiefs, Ramsey County and Sheriff Bob Fletcher, one identified police officer and other unidentified officers. The Minneapolis Police Department was one of several agencies providing security during the convention.
St. Paul's interim city attorney, Gerald Hendrickson, said his office had not been served with the lawsuit so he couldn't comment
The Minneapolis city attorney also has not received the lawsuit and can't comment, city spokesman Matt Laible said.
St. Paul police spokesman Paul Schnell said that as a rule, the department does not comment on pending litigation.
Salazar was cited for felony riot, Kouddous was told he was facing a felony riot charge and Goodman was cited for interference with a peace officer and obstruction of the legal process.
Prosecutors eventually dropped all charges against all arrested journalists, as well as many protesters and bystanders. The only major case still pending is of a group of protesters who have dubbed themselves the RNC8. That group is scheduled for trial in October.
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