In a civil lawsuit against Clarke, Daniel Black argued he received hateful messages and was fearful after Clarke called him a "snowflake" online and said Black "wouldn't be around to whine" if the then-sheriff really wanted to harass him. Clarke made the comment after Black complained to the county that the sheriff had his deputies detain and question him for 15 minutes after he got off the plane in Milwaukee.
Jurors deliberated nearly three hours before deciding Clarke's posts were not enough to chill Black's future speech. Clarke resigned on Aug. 31 to join a political action committee that supports President Donald Trump.
Black said he shook his head at Clarke last January on the flight from Dallas to Milwaukee because Clarke was wearing Cowboys gear when they were playing the Green Bay Packers in the playoffs.