A Kansas City Chiefs fan is suing Rep. Tim Burchett after the Tennessee Congressman falsely accused the man of being an "illegal alien" who was responsible for last month's mass shooting at the Super Bowl victory parade.
Denton Loudermill, a father of three from Johnson County, Kansas, was detained by police on the day of the shooting for not clearing out quickly enough, according to The Kansas City Star, but police let him go about half an hour later.
But Burchett, a MAGA lawmaker known for sharing Russian propaganda, had a knee-jerk reaction and immediately posted a photo of Loudermill on X, along with the racist caption, "One of the Kansas City Chiefs victory parade shooters has been identified as an illegal Alien."
Loudermill's lawsuit says Burchett's false statement caused him "mental distress, sleeplessness, anxiety, and agitation," not to mention "emotional suffering." And he says the damages total more than $75,000.
From The Kansas City Star:
The lawsuit asks a judge to issue damages "to punish" Burchett or deter him and others from similar conduct in the future.
The false light claim alleged in Loudermill's lawsuit is different from a defamation claim and requires a higher standard of proof. A false light claim has to be made to a large group of people while a defamatory statement only has to be made to one other person. …
Monday's lawsuit comes after Burchett's false post sparked a social media firestorm in the wake of the Feb. 14 mass shooting in Kansas City that injured more than 20 people and killed 43-year-old Lisa Lopez-Galvan. A group of Missouri lawmakers also shared similar posts and have refused to apologize.
Loudermill told The Star last month that "everybody that put my name through the mud, everybody needs to be held accountable."
