A police officer is accused of retaliating against a citizen by manipulating court records to punish him for exercising his constitutional rights. Andrew Zupko filed a complaint on December 29, 2025, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio against Officer Matt Glynn.
The lawsuit arises from an incident on December 30, 2023, when Officer Glynn initiated a traffic stop against Zupko for alleged speeding. During the encounter, Zupko exercised his First Amendment rights by remaining silent and recording the interaction. The situation escalated when Zupko expressed his displeasure with a constitutionally protected hand gesture as he drove past Glynn after the stop concluded. Unable to arrest Zupko for this act of free speech, Glynn allegedly retaliated by altering court records to include false allegations that Zupko “sped off” aggressively after making the gesture. This alteration led to harsher penalties during sentencing, despite Zupko’s clean driving record.
Zupko claims that Glynn’s actions were motivated by frustration over Zupko’s exercise of his constitutional rights during the traffic stop. The complaint argues that Glynn’s conduct violated established legal standards and was intended to chill free expression by punishing protected speech through bureaucratic means. As evidence, Zupko points to discrepancies between his copy of the citation and the altered version submitted to the court.
Zupko seeks various forms of relief from the court, including declaratory judgment that Glynn’s actions violated his First Amendment rights, compensatory damages totaling $120,000 for financial and emotional harm, punitive damages to deter future misconduct, nominal damages for constitutional violations independent of physical or financial injury, and coverage of legal costs.
Representing himself pro se in this case is Andrew Zupko. The presiding judge is Judge Fleming with Magistrate Judge Sheperd assisting. The case ID is 1:25-cv-02789-CEF.
Source: 125cv02789_Zupko_v_Glynn_Complaint_Northern_District_Ohio.pdf
