{"id":132,"date":"2026-05-21T20:35:05","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T20:35:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/phoenixrelocationnews.com\/?p=132"},"modified":"2026-05-21T20:35:05","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T20:35:05","slug":"fired-phoenix-cops-first-amendment-claims-are-strong-judge-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/phoenixrelocationnews.com\/?p=132","title":{"rendered":"Fired Phoenix cop\u2019s First Amendment claims \u2018are strong,\u2019 judge says"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Dusten Mullen, the Phoenix cop fired for his off-duty behavior at a student protest, lost a battle on Thursday. But he may win the war.<\/p>\n

Read more 2 Valley locales among U.S. cities with highest summer heat risk<\/a><\/p>\n

In a 15-page ruling issued Thursday in Mullen\u2019s lawsuit against the city of Phoenix, federal Judge Susan Brnovich denied Mullen\u2019s request for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction that would have seen him reinstated with the Phoenix Police Department. But Brnovich acknowledged that Mullen has strong First Amendment claims against the city, which fired him after he showed up masked and armed at an anti-ICE student protest in Chandler and told local police he wanted to bait students into assaulting him.<\/p>\n

Mullen, who was a sergeant, was fired on May 14 after what\u2019s known as a Loudermill hearing in front of Phoenix Police Chief Matt Giordano and other city officials. Mullen\u2019s attorney, Steve Serbalik, immediately filed a motion asking the court to reverse that decision while Mullen\u2019s ongoing lawsuit plays out.<\/p>\n

Brnovich, who heard oral arguments on the motion in court on Monday, denied that request, saying Mullen hadn\u2019t shown enough evidence that he\u2019d be irreparably harmed if his firing were allowed to stand while the case pends. But, she wrote at length that Mullen\u2019s attorney argued persuasively that Phoenix retaliated against him for his protected First Amendment activity and fast-tracked his firing after media coverage of the incident exploded.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe merits of Plaintiffs\u2019 case are strong,\u201d Brnovich wrote. \u201cBut the Court finds that Plaintiffs again fail to articulate imminent irreparable injury warranting the preliminary injunctive relief they seek.\u201d<\/p>\n

In an emailed statement, Steve Serbalik, Mullen\u2019s lawyer, said that Mullen was grateful that the court gave a \u201cthorough and fair analysis\u201d of the case.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will continue to pursue this matter in the appropriate venues,\u201d he wrote.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The city of Phoenix declined to comment or provide more information due to the ongoing litigation.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This is the second temporary restraining order requested by Mullen that Brnovich has denied. Mullen also requested one before his Loudermill hearing, which Brnovich denied on the grounds that any harm Mullen might suffer was speculative because the city\u2019s disciplinary process had not been completed at the time. In her latest ruling, she noted that any harm suffered by Mullen in light of his firing \u2014 essentially, lost salary \u2014 could be remediated by backpay should the lawsuit ultimately result in his reinstatement.<\/p>\n

\n

First Amendment claims<\/h2>\n

The ruling was a win for the city, but perhaps a pyrrhic one. Throughout most of her ruling, Brnovich largely took Mullen\u2019s side and suggested that the evidence supports the assertion that the city railroaded him.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The judge agreed that Mullen was present at the protest as a counter-protester and that he was engaged with issues of public concern. In addition to Chandler police identifying him as a counter-protester on the scene, she wrote, the Phoenix Police Department also acknowledged his counter-protesting in its internal investigation. Mullen also wore a Trump 2020 t-shirt, which clearly identified his political stance, and filmed his interactions with law enforcement.<\/p>\n

Read more Supervisors blast Heap for \u2018felony\u2019 threat before routine drop box vote<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cSgt. Mullen\u2019s recording of police activity alone is sufficient to trigger First Amendment protections,\u201d Brnovich wrote.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Mullen has claimed that the city changed the severity of his alleged policy violations and sped up its investigation of them after media reports identified him and after Anna Hernandez, a member of the Phoenix City Council, spoke publicly about the incident. Previously, a lieutenant with the department\u2019s Professional Standards Bureau testified in court that the investigation felt rushed.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Brnovich apparently found that persuasive. Her ruling outlined the timeline of events, from protest to firing, and found that it \u201cevidences a rushed and conclusory investigation\u201d that was influenced by public sentiment.<\/p>\n

\u201cAccordingly, Plaintiffs can clearly show Sgt. Mullen\u2019s First Amendment protected activity was a substantial or motivating factor in his termination,\u201d she wrote.<\/p>\n

Despite the free speech protections, the city could have justified the firing by showing that it had caused a disruption in the workplace. Brnovich felt the city failed that test, as well as a test that would have required the city to show it would have fired Mullen even if no First Amendment activity had been involved. She pointed to a video played by Mullen\u2019s lawyer at the hearing that showed the minutes leading up to his notorious comments about instigating the students to assault him and get them arrested. The city argued that it would have fired him for trying to provoke a crime, but Brnovich wrote that the video did not show that.<\/p>\n

Instead, she said, it showed Mullen attempting to interact with protesters peacefully. She said Mullen\u2019s attorney persuasively argued that Mullen\u2019s eventual comment to a Chandler officer about baiting protesters into attacking him was made out of frustration, given that protesters were hounding and following Mullen and that one had thrown water on him.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat video does not depict Sgt. Mullen instigating or provoking any students to assault him,\u201d she wrote. \u201cIn fact, the video showed Sgt. Mullen asking students if they wanted to have a conversation.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

It remains to be seen what happens in the case from here. Mullen termination stands, but Brnovich\u2019s ruling suggests that ultimately may not stick. (Notably, her ruling did not address the fact that Mullen can still appeal his firing to the city\u2019s Civil Service Board, which could overturn the termination.) A full trial could theoretically bring to light additional facts that support the city\u2019s position.<\/p>\n

If Brnovich\u2019s ruling is any guide, though, it may be time for the city to broach settlement talks.<\/p>\n

Read more Arizona executes Leroy McGill, convicted murderer and arsonist<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Fired Sgt. Dusten Mullen says Phoenix retaliated against him after he counter-protested at an anti-ICE demonstration while off duty.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":131,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-132","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting"],"yoast_head":"\nFired Phoenix cop\u2019s First Amendment claims \u2018are strong,\u2019 judge says - Phoenix Relocation News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/phoenixrelocationnews.com\/?p=132\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Fired Phoenix cop\u2019s First Amendment claims \u2018are strong,\u2019 judge says - Phoenix Relocation News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Fired Sgt. 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