Schlapp accuser can proceed anonymously with libel suit against GOP operative: Judge
Kaelan Deese
Video Embed
A federal district court judge is allowing an anonymous Republican campaign staffer to move forward with a defamation lawsuit against GOP fundraiser Caroline Wren after she attacked the merits of his sexual assault lawsuit against Matt Schlapp on social media.
The staffer previously worked on Herschel Walker’s Senate campaign in Georgia and accused Schlapp, the chairman of the American Conservative Union, of sexual assault in another anonymous lawsuit last month. Schlapp has denied the allegations.
MATT SCHLAPP SUED BY FORMER HERSCHEL WALKER AIDE, ALLEGING SEXUAL ASSAULT
On Wednesday, U.S. District Court Judge Beryl A. Howell allowed the plaintiff to remain anonymous in the new lawsuit brought against Wren, who is accused of using the plaintiff’s name in tweets and saying he was fired from multiple jobs for “lying and unethical behavior” and for “being a habitual liar.”
“According to plaintiff, the defendant’s allegedly false and defamatory statements that form the basis of the instant action are ‘inextricably tied to Mr. Doe’s allegations of sexual assault against’ a third-party, with whom defendant is closely associated, ‘and thus discussion of one will evoke discussion of the other,'” Howell wrote in an eight-page order.
Although the plaintiff has been terminated from multiple jobs, including one job last week, his counsel contends in court filings that the reasons for said terminations alleged by Wren are false.
Wren’s tweets “placed Mr. Doe into contempt, ridicule, and disgrace within the community,” according to the complaint.
The plaintiff first shared his account of Schlapp’s alleged sexual assault to the Daily Beast, saying it happened after a Georgia campaign event for Walker in October.
Schlapp is accused of “aggressively fondling” the plaintiff’s “genital area in a sustained fashion” while he was “frozen with fear and panic” after the pair went out for drinks on Oct. 19, 2022, according to the original lawsuit filed last month.
Schlapp is being sued for both sexual battery and defamation. His spouse, Mercedes Schlapp, is also being sued for defamation. Wren was named in the first lawsuit but was not listed as a defendant.
The plaintiff is named John Doe in court filings and is seeking more than $500,000 in damages from Wren and more than $9 million from the Schlapps.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Schlapp’s organization, the ACU, is best known for hosting the annual Conservative Political Action Conference. This year’s CPAC is scheduled for early next month in Maryland and is expected to host former President Donald Trump and other major conservative figures.
Two ACU board members have released a statement defending Schlapp. His counsel has signaled Schlapp may countersue the plaintiff at some point in the future.