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Topics: Transgender, LGBTQ, US News, Social Media, Twitter
Warning: This article contains discussion of discrimination against the trans community, which some readers may find distressing.
A military pilot has filed a defamation lawsuit against a right-wing influencer accusing them of promoting a 'false narrative' connecting her to the Washington air crash.
On January 29, an American Airlines plane collided with a Black Hawk military helicopter as it was coming in to land at Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington, DC. All 67 onboard both aircraft were killed.
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A 35-year-old military pilot, who served over 15 years in the Virginia Army National Guard, Jo Ellis, had nothing to do with either flight but found herself falsely named on social media as the alleged pilot of the Army Black Hawk Helicopter.
Less than 24 hours after the crash, right-wing influencer Matt Wallace reportedly took to Twitter alleging the pilot of the Hawk helicopter had been transgender, sharing an image of Ellis - who also happens to be transgender - alongside his claims.
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With over 2.2 million followers on one of his accounts, it didn't take long for Wallace's post to go viral.
On April 9, Ellis filed a defamation lawsuit against the influencer, alleging he 'concocted a destructive and irresponsible defamation campaign' about her.
While it's not believed Wallace started the rumor - an analysis by The Times suggesting the conspiracy theory started prior to his post - Ellis' attorney Meg Phelan noting they 'zeroed in on Matt Wallace' because his 'publicizing' of Ellis' likeness seemed 'very strategic'.
Ellis' lawsuit claims, while Wallace deleted the initial post, he allegedly then shared two further posts once again linking her to the crash.
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The first post reportedly linked to an interview Ellis had done with The Smerconish Podcast, and the second included images of Ellis alongside the statement the crash was a supposed example of 'another trans terror attack'.
In a bid to combat the false allegations - one post receiving over 4.8 million views on Twitter, the lawsuit states - Ellis felt forced to take to Facebook to share a video of herself alive.
She said in the video: "I understand some people have associated me with the crash in D.C., and that is false. It is insulting to the families to try to tie this to some sort of political agenda. They don’t deserve that. I don’t deserve this. And I hope that you all know that I am alive and well, and this should be sufficient for you all to end all the rumors."
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NBC reports Wallace then shared another user's post including Ellis' video.
He also reportedly tweeted that the account which connected Ellis to the helicopter involved in the crash had come from a profile no longer active called @FakeGayPolitics.
The Guardian notes this was in a bid to 'correct' the false information accusing Ellis of being connected, however, the lawsuit brands the tweets 'excuses for creating viral lies'.
Misgendering Ellis, Wallace allegedly then argued because Ellis 'wrote an article calling out Trump’s trans military ban only a few days ago', that it 'seemed credible' she would also be connected to the Washington DC crash.
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Ellis denies writing such an article.
The lawsuit argues the damage Wallace's posts caused to Ellis was 'instantaneous and immense'.
It states she was a 'private citizen' who stayed 'away from social media' but was thrust into it on January 31 against her will.
"Plaintiff was forced into the public sphere and can no longer remain a private citizen due to Defendant’s lies," it adds.
Ellis says she's now recognized in public and constantly has to 'look over [her] shoulder,' left fearing for 'the safety of [her] family and herself,' telling NBC News she even had to 'arrange for private armed security'.
Represented by LGBTQ+ legal organization, Equality Legal Action Fund, Ellis is seeking damages for the impact on her reputation and safety.
The lawsuit added Ellis was 'devastated that her story was overshadowing the tragic events of the plane crash and likely causing more suffering for the families who lost their loves ones,' the Guardian quotes.
If Ellis wins the lawsuit, she plans to donate to the families of those who passed away in the tragic crash.
She resolved: "I want to hold this person accountable for what they did to me. It’s become too common that people can say horrible things about someone, profit at their expense, and get away with it."
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact the LGBT national hotline at 888-843-4564, available Monday to Friday 4pm-12am ET and 12pm-5pm ET on Saturdays.