Trans pilot falsely blamed in D.C. plane crash sues conservative influencer
A transgender military pilot filed a defamation lawsuit Wednesday against a conservative influencer who falsely claimed on social media that she was flying the helicopter that collided with a commercial jet near Reagan National Airport in January, killing 67 people.
'I want to hold this person accountable for what they did to me,' Jo Ellis, a pilot who has served more than 15 years in the Virginia Army National Guard, said in a statement to NBC News. 'It's become too common that people can say horrible things about someone, profit at their expense, and get away with it.'
On Jan. 30, less than 24 hours after the crash, conservative influencer Matt Wallace, who has 2.2 million followers on the social media platform X, shared a post from another account he operates stating that the helicopter pilot was transgender, according to the lawsuit. Wallace included a photo of Ellis, and the post went viral, the lawsuit states.
Wallace deleted that original post, according to the lawsuit, and then shared two others linking Ellis to the crash. One referred to an interview that Ellis did with The Smerconish Podcast, in which she said President Donald Trump's executive order barring trans people from serving and enlisting in the military made her nervous.
The second post included photos of Ellis and said she might have participated in 'another trans terror attack,' according to the lawsuit. That post received 4.8 million views on X, the suit states.
Wallace did not immediately return a request for comment regarding the allegations in the lawsuit.
On Jan. 31, after Ellis learned about the rumors, she shared a 'proof of life' video on Facebook.
'I understand some people have associated me with the crash in D.C., and that is false,' Ellis said in the Facebook video. '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.'
Soon after Ellis' statement on Facebook, Wallace shared another X user's post with Ellis' video, writing that it was an 'Important Update!' and adding that Ellis was not piloting the helicopter and is still alive. Wallace also wrote in another X post that the original rumor that Ellis had been flying the helicopter involved in the crash came from another account with the handle @FakeGayPolitics, which is no longer active. Wallace said the rumor 'seemed credible' because Ellis, whom Wallace misgendered in his posts, 'wrote an article calling out Trump's trans military ban only a few days ago.'
Ellis was not involved in the midair collision, the lawsuit states, did not write an article 'calling out' Trump's trans military ban and did not engage in 'another trans terror attack.'
Equality Legal Action Fund, an LGBTQ legal organization representing Ellis, argues in the complaint that Wallace 'concocted a destructive and irresponsible defamation campaign' against Ellis.
'The damage caused to Plaintiff by Defendant was instantaneous and immense,' the lawsuit continues. 'Prior to Defendant's campaign, Plaintiff was a private citizen who led a private life away from social media and the limelight. When Plaintiff awoke on January 31, 2025, she discovered she was the second most-trending topic in the United States on X with more than 90,000 posts mentioning her name or her likeness. Plaintiff was forced into the public sphere and can no longer remain a private citizen due to Defendant's lies.'
Ellis said her life was 'turned upside down' by Wallace's posts.
'I feared for the safety of my family and myself and had to arrange private armed security,' she said in her statement to NBC News. 'I'm now recognized in public and forever associated with that terrible tragedy over the Potomac. When I go out in public I have to look over my shoulder now.'
Ellis' suit seeks damages for the injury to her reputation, though Ellis said she plans to donate any money that she wins from the suit to the families of the people who died in the crash.
Trans people have increasingly been falsely blamed for tragedies and violence in recent years, particularly after mass shootings. Since 2022, false or unconfirmed claims have linked trans people to mass shootings in Uvalde, Texas; Nashville, Tennessee; Philadelphia; Madison, Wisconsin; and Des Moines, Iowa.
In addition, since January, the Trump administration has enacted several policies targeting trans people, including the trans military ban, which states that being openly trans 'is not consistent with the humility and selflessness required of a service member.' Two judges have temporarily blocked that policy from taking effect.
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