A jury in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, has awarded drag queen Eric Posey more than $1.1 million in damages in a defamation lawsuit against conservative blogger Summer Bushnell.
The Kootenai County District Court jury unanimously found that Bushnell had defamed Posey when she posted a doctored video claiming he had exposed himself to a crowd, including children, during a Pride event in June 2022.
1/2.Eric Posey, a drag performer known as Mona Liza Million in Idaho, has won a defamation lawsuit against conservative blogger Summer Bushnell.
The Associated Press reports that a jury unanimously found https://t.co/1XLoiImXzZ
— Pamela Hohlbein (she/her) (@PamelaHohlbein) May 28, 2024
Posey, who goes by the name Mona Liza Million, had appeared at the event wearing a long-sleeve leotard, black shorts, tights and a metallic boa around his waist. He did not remove any clothing during his performance.
Bushnell had posted a video of herself discussing the arrest of 31 members of a white supremacist group near the Pride event, along with edited footage from Posey’s performance. She claimed the blurred spot in the video covered Posey’s “fully exposed genitals” and urged viewers to call the police and have him arrested.
Facts have never gotten in the way of right-wing screaming fits. Maybe a million-dollar defamation judgement will be a deterrent.
Black Idaho Drag Queen Mona Liza Million Wins Big Million Against Big Bigothttps://t.co/1JrlUm8cno
— Wonkette (@Wonkette) May 28, 2024
However, prosecutors declined to file charges after reviewing the unedited video, which showed no indecent exposure. Posey said he suffered harassment and death threats as a result of Bushnell’s false allegations.
The jury awarded Posey $926,000 in compensatory damages for defamation and an additional $250,000 in punitive damages, finding that Bushnell had made the accusations with reckless disregard for the truth or knowing they were false.
