Nebraska senator sues conservative group for defamation

A Nebraska lawmaker has filed a defamation suit against a conservative group for “falsely accusing me of abusing and grooming my child.”

Megan Hunt, a small business owner and community activist representing the 8th legislative district in Omaha, is suing the Nebraska Freedom Coalition and three of its officers — Patrick Peterson, Robert Anthony and Malia Shirley. She claims they have repeatedly called her a child “groomer” on social media and falsely accused her of abusing her own 13-year-old transgender son.

According to the Nebraska Legal Action Fund, the nonprofit representing Hunt, those claims led to “calls to abduct her child and that she be publicly executed.”

The alleged abuse started in March, after Hunt pleaded with her fellow lawmakers to vote against a bill that would ban gender-affirming treatment for trans people under the age of 19 — while speaking publicly for the first time that her son is trans.

LB 574, which also makes it illegal for medical providers to perform an abortion after 12 weeks of pregnancy, was approved by the state’s unicameral legislature on May 19 and signed into law by Republican Gov. Jim Pillen three days later.

After that March speech, the conservative group began accusing Hunt of serious crimes by spreading “knowingly false statements” about her. The “malicious and false lies” led to widespread harassment against her, according to the lawsuit.

She was called a “groomer” on Twitter at least 230 times, and received 25 phone calls and 34 emails accusing her of the same — some messages threatened physical harm, while one provided her home address and suggested her child should be kidnapped.

In a statement following the announcement of the lawsuit, Hunt said she’s “taking a stand against those who wish to defame, intimidate and harass parents, educators, healthcare professionals, and advocates who stand up for our children and Nebraskans in the fight for equality across the state.”

With News Wire Services