IU professor arrested amid protest against white nationalism may sue

An Indiana University associate professor arrested last summer while protesting against a farmers market vendor alleged to have ties to a white supremacist group has taken a step toward filing a civil lawsuit against the city of Bloomington.

Attorneys for Cara Caddoo recently filed a tort claim seeking compensation of at least $500,000. That filing signals that she may sue over her arrest at the Bloomington Community Farmers’ Market.

Caddoo was arrested July 27 on a preliminary charge of misdemeanor trespass after holding a sign in front a vendor’s booth saying that it “is operated by members of Identity Evropa, a white nationalist hate group.” That group has since been renamed the American Identity Movement.

Caddoo, who’s an associate professor of history, was released from jail the same day without posting bond. No charges were filed by Monroe County prosecutors.

Caddoo’s attorneys indicate in their tort claim that they might pursue claims against the city for wrongful arrest, defamation of character and intentional infliction of emotional distress, as well as deprivation of rights under the First, Fourth and Fourteenth amendments, The Herald-Times of Bloomington reported.

The city has three months to respond to the claim.

Bloomington’s mayor temporarily suspended the farmers market in July after threats of violence. The market resumed in August in the city about 50 miles southwest of Indianapolis.