Trans pilot falsely linked to DC plane crash sues for defamation

A trans woman, mistakenly identified as a helicopter pilot involved in the air collision that killed 67 people, filed a honour-loss lawsuit against the conservative influencers who claimed about her.

The collision occurred on the Potomac River in Washington, DC on January 29th, and included an American Airlines flight from Kansas and a military helicopter with three people on board. There were no survivors.

President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance quickly condemned the diverse, equality and inclusion policies of the crash, claiming that these have led to a shortage of air traffic controllers.

Joe Ellis, a Virginia State Guard transgender Black Hawk pilot who was deployed to Iraq in Operation New Dawn in 2011 and won the Air Order for his role as a door gunner, was told by several right-wing figures to fly helicopters on social media.

Ellis, represented by the Equality Legal Action Fund, is currently suing Matthew Wallace. Matthew Wallace is said to have spread conspiracy theories to millions of followers on social media. The lawsuit alleges that he “created a disruptive and irresponsible campaign” that monetized “false stories” about her.

“The damage caused to the plaintiff was instantaneous and immeasurable,” the lawsuit reads.

“prior to [the] Defendant’s campaign, [the] The plaintiff was a civilian who led his personal life from social media and the spotlight. when [the] The plaintiff woke up on January 31, where she discovered that she was the second most trending topic in the US in X, with over 90,000 posts mentioning her name and her portrait.

“[The] The plaintiffs have been forced into the public realm and are no longer civilians.

“Elis is being threatened with “trustful death threats” and hateful messages. Many of them are Transforbid. [the] The incredible pain of the plaintiff and her family. [She] Her story was devastated by the fact that it was likely to overshadow the tragic events of the plane crash and caused more suffering for the family who lost their loved ones.

“She was also afraid of her safety and her family’s safety.”

Ellis said NBC News That she had to arrange private armed security. “I am now publicly recognized and forever connected to that horrifying tragedy against Potomac,” she added. “When I go out into public, I have to look over my shoulder.”

Wallace has issued a tweet to “fix” the information after Ellis posted a video to prove she is still alive, but the lawsuit categorizes them as “making excuses to create virus lies,” the Guardian reported.