Dr. Alexandra Owensby, Democratic candidate for KY-06, has been sued for defamation, and has files a counter-suit over the same issue.
Owensby, running for the seat held by Thomas Massie, shared that her social media accounts had been “trolled” by tens or hundreds of commenters, to the point where she had to lock down the accounts. In response, she noted the trolling, and then alleged that people were being paid to do the trolling. In a later post, she accused T.J. Roberts of being behind the attacks on her social media, and noted that he promoted “Massie Mania” on his own social media accounts.
Roberts, who has also been a plaintiff in suits against Governor Beshear this year, filed suit against Owensby and her campaign for defamation, saying that the statements were false and constituted “defamation per se.” He also claimed in his suit that he is not a “public figure.” (Defamation against a public figure is usually harder to prove and win.)
The Roberts complaint was filed in Boone Circuit Court. This venue is seen by the Owensby campaign as problematic, as one of the judges, Richard Brueggemann, is a former GOP chair for the county, and whose family has made multiple donations to Massie and other Republican causes over the years.
Owensby counter-filing and request for change of venue
On Friday, November 13, the Owensby campaign filed an “Answer and Counterclaim,” as well as a motion to transfer the case to Campbell County.
The Owensby filing answers the Roberts filing point by point, including that he is, indeed, a public figure. The filing then makes the counterclaim that Roberts “bragged about his public and political activities and the harassment and targeting he solicited or paid third parties to engage in on Plaintiff Owensby’s social media pages and sites.” And, that “Roberts and his paid and unpaid political team defamed, attacked, and harassed Plaintiff Owensby on various social media sites.”
The Owensby filing concludes by requesting the dismissal of the Roberts action against Owensby; a judgment in favor of Owensby on her counterclaim; an award of costs and fees, including a reasonable attorney’s fee; and any and all other relief to which this Court finds them entitled.
The request for transfer begins by noting that Roberts may live in Boone County, but he works and goes to school in Campbell County, and that the actions of which he is accused occurred in Campbell County.
It then adds, “In addition, as this case is about political speech and interactions between campaigns and operatives, this Court as a supporter of Defendant’s opponent Thomas Massie, should transfer the action to avoid an appearance of conflict of interest.”
The request for transfer is scheduled to be heard this Friday, November 20, at approximately 9 AM.
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