A Kansas resident, Denton Loudermill, has initiated legal action against three Missouri lawmakers for sharing social media posts falsely implicating him as an undocumented immigrant and a shooter in the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl parade incident.
Filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas, the lawsuits target Sen. Rick Brattin of Harrisonville, Sen. Denny Hoskins of Warrensburg, and Sen. Nick Schroer of St. Charles County. Allegations in the federal lawsuits claim that the Republican state senators disseminated misleading social media posts asserting that Loudermill was both an “illegal alien” and involved in the February shooting, which resulted in one fatality and over 20 injuries.
These legal actions are the latest responses to a barrage of false social media accusations following the shooting. Loudermill previously filed a similar lawsuit against U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett, a Tennessee Republican.
The lawsuits assert that the lawmakers’ posts led to death threats against Loudermill, emotional distress, and damages exceeding $75,000. They accuse the senators of invading privacy through false light portrayal. Seeking punitive damages to discourage similar behavior, the lawsuits are guided by Arthur Benson, a prominent civil rights attorney in Kansas City.
While Hoskins refrained from comment, Schroer stated that he had not received the lawsuit. Brattin did not respond to requests for comment.
The legal actions follow a social media uproar triggered by false posts from Burchett and the Missouri lawmakers. The senators shared images of Loudermill on X, formerly Twitter, despite their knowledge or should-have-known awareness of the potential impact of their inflammatory posts.
Clarifications provided in Tuesday’s lawsuits, alongside the previous lawsuit against Burchett, underscore Loudermill’s innocence and refute his alleged involvement in the shooting. Originating from a dispute between two groups, the shooting incident does not implicate Loudermill.
Brattin, Hoskins, and Schroer are affiliated with the conservative Missouri Freedom Caucus. Brattin declined to apologize or acknowledge the misinformation in his post, signaling indifference to potential legal repercussions.
