A Kansas man has filed a defamation lawsuit against Congressman Tim Burchett after he falsely claimed on social media that he was involved in last month’s shooting at the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl parade.
suitThe lawsuit, filed Monday in federal court in Kansas, alleges that Burchett posted “false representations” of Denton Loudermill Jr. on his Platform X account, formerly known as Twitter. The lawsuit alleges that Mr. Loudermill Jr. received death threats and suffered emotional distress.
Loudermill was among an estimated 500,000 people who attended the Chiefs’ parade on February 14 to celebrate the team’s recent Super Bowl victory. A shooting incident occurred at the end of the parade, leaving one person dead and nearly 20 injured.
The day after the shooting, Burchett posted a photo of Loudermill handcuffed and sitting on a curb with the caption, “One of the Kansas City Chiefs Victory Parade shooters has been identified as an illegal alien,” according to the complaint. ” was attached.
Burchett’s post garnered 7.2 million views within three days and was reposted 21,600 times, according to Loudermill’s lawyers. On February 18, Burchett reposted his original post, in which he wrote: One of the gunmen turned out to be an illegal immigrant. This was based on multiple false news reports that stated as such. I have since deleted the post. ”
Mr. Loudermill’s lawyer pointed out that while Mr. Burchett deleted his original post, Mr. Burchett’s repost still misidentified his client as “one of the shooters.”
Loudermill’s attorneys said their client had never met or interacted with the people involved in the altercation that led to the shooting. When the gunshots rang out, Loudermill “froze up,” trying to decide what to do next, according to the complaint. While waiting for his ride, he attempted to go under police tape, so officers briefly handcuffed him while he sat on the curb, where his photo was taken.
Authorities then chased him away from the area, removed his handcuffs and told him he was free to leave, according to the complaint. The complaint states he has “not been charged or charged with any crime.”
Loudermill’s lawyers said Burchett “knew that his inflammatory posts on social media would be seen and read across the United States, including in Kansas, where the posts were targeted by residents.” Or I should have known.” The lawmaker said Loudermill “created false claims on thousands of cell phones, computers, and other electronic devices in Kansas, and those actions caused harm.”
Lawyers argued that Loudermill was never an “alien,” “illegal alien,” or “shooter,” and that Burchett’s claims were “not made in good faith.”
The lawsuit alleges that Loudermill received more than $75,000 in damages. The Hill asked Loudermill’s attorney whether he is seeking specific damages.
Lindell Mays of Raytown, Missouri, and Dominic Miller of Kansas City, Missouri, were charged last month with second-degree felony murder in connection with the shooting. Prosecutors said the two men did not know each other before the parade and that the incident was sparked by an argument between several parade participants.
Burchett’s office declined to comment on the lawsuit. He is one of several Republicans who have pushed for increased border security in recent months, arguing that immigrants are bringing violence and crime into the country.
Republicans reignited the debate earlier this month after Georgia student Laken Riley, 22, was allegedly killed by a 26-year-old Venezuelan national. Jose Ibarra entered the country illegally from Mexico near El Paso, Texas, in September 2022 and was released from custody pending further processing, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials.
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