State Sen. Megan Hunt files defamation lawsuit against conservative group

OMAHA, Neb. (Nebraska Examiner)  — Omaha Sen. Megan Hunt has taken legal action against a conservative political action committee, asserting that the Nebraska Freedom Coalition defamed her by publicly accusing her of sexually grooming and abusing her own child.

The lawsuit was filed on Hunt’s behalf Wednesday by the Nebraska Legal Action Fund, a group founded by former State Sen. Adam Morfeld and created “to protect Nebraskans who are defamed by extremists.”

Morfeld’s group said in a statement that grooming is a serious crime defined in Nebraska state statute as building a relationship with a child with the goal to have sexual contact or penetration.

“Maliciously accusing Nebraskans of grooming with no factual basis only seeks to defame, harass and marginalize them,” the Legal Action Fund said in a statement. “Child abuse is a serious crime defined in statute.”

Filed in Douglas County District Court, the lawsuit said that as a result of the Nebraska Freedom Coalition’s public statements on Twitter, Hunt received death threats and was bombarded with tweets, calls and emails calling her a pedophile and an abuser of her 13-year-old child. The “false lies” had “vicious consequences,” the lawsuit said. 

“One email suggested that Hunt’s genitalia should be cut off and threatened physical harm,” the lawsuit said. “Another indicated that she should be publicly executed while another provided her home address and stated her son should be kidnapped.”

Personal turn

The coalition’s tweets came after Hunt in March made a personal testimony during legislative debate on a measure to ban gender-affirming care for youths. She described how Legislative Bill 574 would impact her and her transgender son. 

The lawsuit says the coalition “leaned into its lies after a retraction demand, reiterated its lies and then expressly stated that the coalition intended to accuse Hunt of a serious crime.”

Hunt, in the statement about the lawsuit, said she was taking a stand.

“No longer will we stand by while vile and defamatory statements are made to marginalize Nebraskans,” she said.

The lawsuit also named as defendants the coalition’s officers, Patrick Peterson, Robert Anthony and Malia Shirley. Neither the group nor its members responded to the Nebraska Examiner’s calls for a response to the lawsuit. 

The coalition did post a tweet Wednesday: “Our 1st Amendment rights are GUARANTEED and we will not be silenced/threatened! Stand with us in safeguarding the cornerstone of democracy.”

Impacting LGBTQ community

Founded in 2021, the nonprofit corporation and PAC said it was launched by “a collective of political leaders who believe in freedom and liberty for the people of Nebraska.” 

It said that its mission is to build a “powerful conservative grassroots activist network” and that its goals include “terminating intrusion of government in our lives, land, and liberty.”

Hunt’s lawsuit claims the coalition’s tweets have materially harmed Hunt, damaged her reputation as a caring and loving mother and caused ongoing fear and emotional distress.

The statement from her defense team says the Nebraska Freedom Coalition’s actions also seek to “marginalize and spread fear among the LGBTQ+ population.”

Hunt seeks a judgment for “general reputational damages” and costs, including attorney fees, along with further relief the court deems appropriate.

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