The American Civil Liberties Union has filed a federal lawsuit against the city of Ocean City.
Their client, William Hassay Jr., a violinist, is asking for monetary damages for losses he suffered when he stopped playing because of the resort’s noise ordinance.
In his complaint Hassay says he had earned around $25-thousand each summer from tourist tips but was forced to perform in “ less lucrative settings” last summer.
This, he said, produced a significant loss of income.
Hassay told the Salisbury Daily Times that he’d like to be able to play again on the Boardwalk.
He told the paper, “...freedom of speech is not something that is open for compromise” or bargained for with police.
Hassay has not been arrested for a noise violation but the suit says he came close.
Ocean City Attorney Guy Ayres said that the ACLU is misinterpreting the law’s application because noises on the Boardwalk affect others.
