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Federal Judge Rejects First Amendment Claims by Makers of 'Most Wanted CEOs' Cards
A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit alleging that New York City police officials retaliated against the creators of a deck of playing cards featuring corporate executives. The court found the plaintiffs' speech was protected but ruled the claims against the police commissioner did not meet legal standards for retaliation.
May 19, 5:33 PM·1m read1 source
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" The cards were modeled after a 2003 U.S. military deck used during the Iraq invasion and featured corporate executives along with QR codes linking to information about their companies. Judge Hector Gonzalez of the U.S. The court accepted the plaintiffs' disclaimers that statements such as "The CEO must die" referred to breaking the structure of capitalism rather than calling for violence.
Harr and Comrade Workwear, LLC launched the cards in December 2024. Each card displayed a corporate executive, their company, and educational content about alleged harms, with suits representing industries including pharmaceuticals, finance, and oil.
" Plaintiffs said the cards contained only publicly available information and no personal contact details.
After a New York Post article linked the cards to the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, NYPD officers questioned Harr at his home and workplace. Plaintiffs allege officers asked about violent intent or ties to extremist groups. " Plaintiffs claim the statements led to de-platforming from social media and e-commerce sites and the seizure of their inventory by federal authorities.
The court found the speech was protected under the First Amendment but concluded the plaintiffs had not sufficiently alleged that Commissioner Tisch took adverse actions because of the speech. The lawsuit was dismissed.
