Idaho drag performer awarded $1.1 million in defamation case against far-right blogger

[Nevilledog]

https://apnews.com/article/drag-performer-defamation-blogger-idaho-c0f3188081e17843059b27d19d5be980

COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho (AP) — A jury has awarded more than $1.1 million to an Idaho drag performer who accused a far-right blogger of defaming him when she falsely claimed that he exposed himself to a crowd, including children, during a Pride event in June 2022.

The Kootenai County District Court jury unanimously found Friday that Summer Bushnell defamed Post Falls resident Eric Posey when she posted a doctored video of his performance with a blurred spot that she claimed covered his “fully exposed genitals,” the Coeur D’Alene Press reported.

In reality the unedited video showed no indecent exposure, and prosecutors declined to file charges.

“The judicial system did what needed to be done,” Posey said after the verdict.

Jurors awarded Posey $926,000 in compensatory damages for defamation. Because Posey proved that Bushnell knew her allegations were false when she made them or that she made the accusations with reckless disregard for the truth, the jury awarded $250,000 in additional punitive damages.

*snip*


Good!

[multigraincracker]

1. Hats off to those Civil Rights Lawyers of

America. They are our last shot at Justice.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

5. Don't forget juries! Judgements like this are evidence that decent folks outnumber MAGAts.

[rubbersole]

2. Appeal!

Rudy and Jenna aren't busy...

[Warpy]

4. I hope it's not reduced by much

Bushnell seems like the kind of twisted little troll who will go to her grave swearing she saw what she wanted to see because everybody knows what "those people" are really like. I wanther to keep paying for that privilege.

[Silent3]

3. I look forward to the day, maybe a decade from now...

…when Posey finally sees some of that money.

[BlueWaveNeverEnd]

6. excellent