Following a helicopter collision with a Washington passenger jet, 67 people lost their lives in January, waking Joe Ellis up to a flurry of text messages two days later.
Ellis, a transgender helicopter pilot for the Virginia Army National Guard, found herself at the center of a social media frenzy where she was wrongly identified as the pilot involved in the crash. Online mobs tied the incident to diversity initiatives due to Ellis being transgender.
To debunk the false claims, Ellis posted a “Proof of Life” video on Facebook, reassuring everyone of her well-being despite the rumors swirling around her.
“At that moment, my life turned upside down,” Ellis shared in an interview. She recounted how her employer provided armed guards for her family’s protection, and she felt the stigma of being labeled as ‘that transterrorist’ for the rest of her life.
In response to the false allegations, Ellis filed a defamation lawsuit against Matt Wallace, a prominent influencer with millions of followers, for spreading misinformation about her.
After Ellis’s video gained traction online, Wallace deleted the posts related to her and issued an “important update” clarifying that she was not involved in the helicopter collision.
The lawsuit accuses Wallace of launching a damaging and irresponsible campaign against Ellis. Her lawyers have filed the case in the U.S. District Court in Colorado, seeking financial damages from Wallace.
Wallace has yet to respond to requests for comment on the matter.
The legal action against influencers and creators for spreading false information online is gaining momentum as a way to combat misinformation in the digital age.
Ronell Andersen Jones, a law professor at the University of Utah, highlighted the growing trend of honor loss lawsuits, like the one filed by Ellis. These legal actions aim to restore a person’s reputation and combat social falsehoods.
Recent successful honor loss cases against major entities, such as Dominion and Alex Jones, have paved the way for similar action against individuals like Wallace.
Ellis’s lawsuit was supported by the Equality Legal Action Fund, a group of volunteer lawyers advocating for LGBTQ rights.
Challenges such as constitutional hurdles and free speech laws complicate honor loss lawsuits. Proving intentional and malicious intent behind spreading false information is crucial in such cases.
Ellis expressed her intention to donate any financial compensation she receives to the families of the crash victims.
She emphasized the consequences of freedom of speech and the impact it can have, especially when false information incites online mobs. The speculation linking the transgender pilot to the crash emerged as a conspiracy theory shortly after the incident.
Despite the challenges, Ellis remains determined to seek justice and hold those accountable for spreading harmful misinformation online.
Source: www.nytimes.com
