Suit targets California DMV rejection of personalized plate

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A soccer fan claims in a lawsuit that the California Department of Motor Vehicles violated his First Amendment rights by rejecting a personalized license plate he said would celebrate his favorite team, but which the DMV said might be deemed offensive.

The federal suit filed Tuesday says Jon Kotler applied for a plate that would read COY-W. That’s an abbreviation of “Come on You Whites,” a slogan used by fans of London-based Fulham Football Club.

The suit says the DMV said it could be considered hostile, insulting, or racially degrading.

The DMV says it does not comment on pending lawsuits.

The complaint accuses the DMV of depriving Kotler of his right to freedom of speech. Kotler is asking the court to declare the DMV’s criteria for personalized license plates unconstitutional.