Latest news with #EqualityLegalActionFund
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Meet the trans Black Hawk pilot suing after being falsely accused of role in deadly D.C. crash
Jo Ellis, the transgender Army Black Hawk pilot falsely said to be flying the helicopter that collided with a passenger plane over the Potomac River near Washington, D.C., in January, is suing one of the right-wing commentators who made the allegation. Ellis filed a defamation suit against Matthew S. Wallace Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Colorado. She is represented by Meg Phelan, legal counsel with the Equality Legal Action Fund. 'I had a unique opportunity to hold someone accountable,' Ellis tells The Advocate. Keep up with the latest in + news and politics. A Black Hawk helicopter with three soldiers aboard collided with American Eagle Flight 5342 about half a mile from Washington Reagan National Airport on the evening of January 29, and both aircraft plunged into the Potomac River. The passenger plane was carrying 60 passengers and four crew members. Everyone on both aircraft was killed. Several posters on social media claimed that Ellis was the Black Hawk pilot and that she intentionally caused the crash, somehow because of her gender identity. She then posted a Facebook video to prove she was alive and had not been the pilot. She has been a member of the Virginia Army National Guard since 2009, and the Department of Defense noted that no one from the Virginia guard unit was in the helicopter. Ellis's suit says that Wallace, a resident of Littleton, Colorado, who has more than 2.3 million followers on X (formerly Twitter), 'decided to exploit this devastation for clicks and money.' 'Because Defendant is a notorious transphobe who knew an anti-transgender narrative would draw significant attention, he settled on Plaintiff — a transgender Army Black Hawk pilot, who recently learned she might be discharged from the military due to a new Executive Order, as the perfect target,' the lawsuit states. Once he had Plaintiff in his sights, Defendant concocted a destructive and irresponsible defamation campaign against Plaintiff perpetrated on social media.' 'Upon information and belief, Defendant has monetized his primary X profile, @MattWallace888, through his large follower count and engagement. Defendant also maintains three less popular X profiles — @JackWallace888, @MattWallace008, and @Final_StandDoge,' the document continues. 'Defendant used his prominent X platform to monetize a false narrative that Plaintiff was not only one of the Army pilots involved in the mid-air collision, but also that she engaged in 'another trans terror attack' and intentionally caused the mid-air collision due to her 'depression' and 'Gender Dysphoria.'' He also shared a picture of her. One of his posts received more than 4.6 million views. It has become common for right-wing extremists to blame trans people, without evidence, for mass shootings and other crimes, supposedly showing that being trans is a mental illness. And shortly after the D.C.-area crash, Donald Trump blamed it, also without evidence, on diversity, equity, and inclusion policies, which his administration claims results in discrimination against white people. The military eventually identified the three service members killed in the crash, and in their photographs, all appear to be white. Wallace posts anti-Semitic rhetoric as well as spewing hatred of trans people and LGBTQ+ people in general, Ellis and Phelan say. He negatively posted about Ellis converting to Judaism, according to Ellis and her lawyer. Other posts include his false claims that President Joe Biden fell asleep while meeting with Hawaii fire survivors in 2023, that Biden either had a body double or was being held in a White House bunker during his presidency, and that Biden's son Hunter was seen sniffing cocaine at the White House. All those claims have been debunked by Jo EllisCourtesy Jo Ellis After Ellis posted her 'proof of life' video on Facebook, Wallace created a correction post and then another that attempted 'to shift the blame for the original rumor naming Plaintiff away from himself to X user @FakeGayPolitics,' the suit says. He put up a screen shot of the @FakeGayPolitics post and said it ''seemed credible' because Plaintiff 'wrote an article calling out Trump's trans military ban only a few days ago,'' the suit goes on. 'Defendant further stated he disagreed with Plaintiff's views and intentionally misgendered her.' 'Defendant's claims are outright and unequivocal falsehoods,' the suit says. 'Plaintiff was not flying the Black Hawk helicopter involved in the mid-air collision with a regional jet operated by American Airlines on January 29, 2025. She did not write an article 'calling out' President Trump's trans military ban and she certainly did not engage in 'another trans terror attack.'' Ellis is currently continuing to serve in the military because of a court injunction against the trans ban. Ellis became at one point the second most trending topic on X, and more than 90,000 posts included her name and her picture, according to the suit. 'Plaintiff was forced into the public sphere and can no longer remain a private citizen due to Defendant's lies,' it says. 'Given her immediate notoriety and the fact that she is a transgender woman, she fears for the immediate safety of herself and her family on account of the hate inspired against her by Defendant's lies.' After Wallace and others claimed Ellis was the Black Hawk pilot, she began to be recognized in public, she tells The Advocate. 'I received a lot of hate, especially that week' immediately after the information spread, she says. 'It put me and my family at risk.' She hired private security and bought a gun. What she finds even worse is that the false narrative about her eclipsed the tragic story of the crash. 'It's a tragedy that Matt wanted to distract from with rumors about me,' she says, adding, 'I know people who know the victims on that helicopter. The Black Hawk community is very small.' 'We are trying to make this not about Jo but about that crash and what Matt Wallace did,' Phelan says. Ellis is seeking economic damages, similar to compensatory damages, as reimbursement for the expenses she incurred as a result of Wallace's postings, as well as exemplary, or punitive damages, which would require the proof that Wallace acted with actual malice — knowing that the information he shared was false. If she wins her suit, the amount will be determined in court. She plans to donate any money she receives to the families of the crash victims. Wallace does not appear to have commented publicly on the suit, although several media outlets have tried to contact him. Ellis knows that filing the suit will bring her additional scrutiny, but she says it's worth it: 'I believe in holding people accountable."
The Hill
10-04-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Transgender pilot falsely linked to DC plane crash sues conservative influencer, alleging defamation
A transgender military helicopter pilot sued a conservative social media influencer for alleged defamation on Wednesday, two months after she was falsely blamed for a deadly midair collision over the Potomac River in Washington. Jo Ellis, a pilot in the Virginia National Guard, filed the defamation suit against Matt Wallace, a cryptocurrency investor and influencer on the social platform X. In January, Wallace falsely claimed on his X account, where he has 2.2 million followers, that Ellis had been operating the Black Hawk helicopter that collided with a passenger jet on Jan. 29. All 67 people aboard the two aircraft were killed in the crash, the deadliest U.S. aviation disaster in more than 20 years. On Jan. 30, less than 24 hours after the crash, Wallace shared a post from one of his alternative accounts that claimed the helicopter pilot was transgender. The post, which Wallace later deleted, included a photo of Ellis, according to the lawsuit. Wallace made two additional posts linking Ellis to the crash, according to the lawsuit, including one that referenced a Jan. 29 podcast interview where Ellis discussed President Trump's executive order to bar transgender people from serving openly in the military. On Jan. 31, after learning from friends that she had been falsely connected to the crash, Ellis filmed and uploaded a 'proof of life' video to her personal Facebook page. 'I understand some people have associated me with the crash in D.C., and that is false,' Ellis said in the 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 y'all know that I'm alive and well and this should be sufficient for you all to end all the rumors.' Wallace then distanced himself from the claim, according to Wednesday's lawsuit. He said another account had started the rumor that Ellis had been involved in the crash and that the post 'seemed credible' because Ellis 'wrote an article calling out Trump's trans military ban only a few days ago.' Ellis, backed by Equality Legal Action Fund, an LGBTQ legal organization, argued on Wednesday that Wallace's claims 'are outright and unequivocal falsehoods.' Her lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado, where Wallace resides, claims he used his platform 'to monetize a false narrative that [Ellis] was not only one of the Army pilots involved in the mid-air collision, but also that she engaged in 'another trans terror attack' and intentionally caused the mid-air collision due to her 'depression' and 'Gender Dysphoria.'' Far-right social media personalities and conservative provocateurs in recent years have been quick to claim, often without evidence, that transgender people are to blame for devastating acts of violence, including mass shootings at a Texas elementary school, celebrity pastor Joel Osteen's megachurch and a high school in suburban Iowa. In December, former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) falsely suggested that a transgender student had carried out a shooting at a Wisconsin private school, and tech billionaire Elon Musk, the owner of the social platform X and a close ally of President Trump, wrote in a recent social media post, 'The probability of a trans person being violent appears to be vastly higher than non-trans.' In the immediate aftermath of the Jan. 29 collision, Trump said diversity initiatives at the Federal Aviation Administration may be to blame.
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trans pilot launches lawsuit against right-wing influencer over DC plane crash
A transgender servicewoman who was incorrectly named as the military helicopter pilot involved in the Washington, D.C. air disaster that killed 67 people in January has filed a lawsuit against a MAGA influencer who she says spread the rumors. Jo Ellis is suing Matt Wallace, a conspiracy theorist with more than two million followers on X, for defamation over claims he 'concocted a destructive and irresponsible defamation campaign' about her. The Equality Legal Action Fund, a nonprofit that provides legal support to discrimination victims, filed the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in Colorado, where the plaintiff's lawyers say Wallace resides. Ellis, a 35-year-old helicopter pilot who has served with the Virginia Army National Guard for 15 years, was falsely named on social media as the person flying the Army Black Hawk helicopter, which collided with an American Airlines passenger plane over the Potomac River on January 29. All 64 people aboard the jet and the three aboard the helicopter died in the crash. 'I've been a door gunner in a helicopter in Iraq during a combat zone, and I've been shot at in that same combat zone,' Ellis told The New York Times. 'But even for me, having a magnifying glass placed on my personal life in the wake of that rumor had a real impact.' Such lawsuits face some constitutional and legal hurdles as free speech laws are broad. Ellis said any financial compensation she may receive would be donated to the victims' families. Online rumors about the Richmond resident were fueled by President Donald Trump's jabs at the Federal Aviation Administration's diversity, equity and inclusion policies, suggesting, without evidence, they could be partly to blame for the mid-air collision. One of them which had been reposted many times said that Ellis 'has been making radicalized anti-Trump statements on socials.' Wallace was one of the more prominent influencers who spread misinformation about Ellis through a series of posts that included photographs and details of her life. While some of Wallace's posts received millions of views, an analysis by The Times suggests that he did not start the rumor. According to the social media monitoring tool Trends24, the conspiracy theory surrounding Ellis began on January 30 and trended on X with more than 90,000 posts by January 31. That was the same day, two days after the deadly collision, that Ellis posted a 'proof of life' video on Facebook to prove she was in fact, alive. 'My life was turned upside-down at that point,' she said in the video. 'Forever on, I'm known as 'that trans terrorist.'' As a result of the post, Ellis received 'credible death threats' and hateful, transphobic messages, the suit alleges. Meg Phelan, Ellis' attorney, explained why they had 'zeroed in' on Wallace. 'He was one of the largest platforms with the most followers to really publicize this and put it out there, and so that it went viral,' she told The Guardian. 'It seemed very strategic, so that was really why we zeroed in on Matt Wallace.' After the video spread online, Wallace deleted his posts about Ellis and stated he had an 'important update.' He said that she 'was not piloting the helicopter that crashed into the plane and is still alive.' The lawsuit argues Wallace was 'making excuses for creating viral lies' after issuing tweets that he says were to correct the false information. 'Too many times do people who have big platforms get to do this to innocent people and drag them through the mud and get away with it,' Ellis told the newspaper. 'So I feel strongly about free speech, but I also feel strongly about consequences to free speech when you use it to stir up a mob and impact someone's life.' The Independent has attempted to contact Wallace through the email listed on his website.
The Independent
10-04-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Trans pilot launches lawsuit against right-wing influencer over DC plane crash
A transgender servicewoman who was incorrectly named as the military helicopter pilot involved in the Washington, D.C. air disaster that killed 67 people in January has filed a lawsuit against a MAGA influencer who she says spread the rumors. Jo Ellis is suing Matt Wallace, a conspiracy theorist with more than two million followers on X, for defamation over claims he 'concocted a destructive and irresponsible defamation campaign' about her. The Equality Legal Action Fund, a nonprofit that provides legal support to discrimination victims, filed the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in Colorado, where the plaintiff's lawyers say Wallace resides. Ellis, a 35-year-old helicopter pilot who has served with the Virginia Army National Guard for 15 years, was falsely named on social media as the person flying the Army Black Hawk helicopter, which collided with an American Airlines passenger plane over the Potomac River on January 29. All 64 people aboard the jet and the three aboard the helicopter died in the crash. 'I've been a door gunner in a helicopter in Iraq during a combat zone, and I've been shot at in that same combat zone,' Ellis told The New York Times. 'But even for me, having a magnifying glass placed on my personal life in the wake of that rumor had a real impact.' Such lawsuits face some constitutional and legal hurdles as free speech laws are broad. Ellis said any financial compensation she may receive would be donated to the victims' families. Online rumors about the Richmond resident were fueled by President Donald Trump's jabs at the Federal Aviation Administration's diversity, equity and inclusion policies, suggesting, without evidence, they could be partly to blame for the mid-air collision. One of them which had been reposted many times said that Ellis 'has been making radicalized anti-Trump statements on socials.' Wallace was one of the more prominent influencers who spread misinformation about Ellis through a series of posts that included photographs and details of her life. While some of Wallace's posts received millions of views, an analysis by The Times suggests that he did not start the rumor. According to the social media monitoring tool Trends24, the conspiracy theory surrounding Ellis began on January 30 and trended on X with more than 90,000 posts by January 31. That was the same day, two days after the deadly collision, that Ellis posted a 'proof of life' video on Facebook to prove she was in fact, alive. 'My life was turned upside-down at that point,' she said in the video. 'Forever on, I'm known as 'that trans terrorist.'' As a result of the post, Ellis received 'credible death threats' and hateful, transphobic messages, the suit alleges. Meg Phelan, Ellis' attorney, explained why they had 'zeroed in' on Wallace. 'He was one of the largest platforms with the most followers to really publicize this and put it out there, and so that it went viral,' she told The Guardian. 'It seemed very strategic, so that was really why we zeroed in on Matt Wallace.' After the video spread online, Wallace deleted his posts about Ellis and stated he had an 'important update.' He said that she 'was not piloting the helicopter that crashed into the plane and is still alive.' The lawsuit argues Wallace was 'making excuses for creating viral lies' after issuing tweets that he says were to correct the false information. 'Too many times do people who have big platforms get to do this to innocent people and drag them through the mud and get away with it,' Ellis told the newspaper. 'So I feel strongly about free speech, but I also feel strongly about consequences to free speech when you use it to stir up a mob and impact someone's life.' The Independent
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trans woman falsely linked to DC plane crash sues influencer for defamation
A transgender woman who was erroneously identified as a helicopter pilot involved in the Washington DC crash that killed 67 people has filed a lawsuit against one of the conservative influencers who spread the false claims about her. Jo Ellis, whom the Guardian wrote about after she was thrust into the spotlight, is suing Matthew Wallace, the person behind the X account, for defamation, claiming Wallace 'concocted a destructive and irresponsible defamation campaign' that monetized a 'false narrative' about her. Ellis is represented by the Equality Legal Action Fund. The suit was filed in federal court in Colorado, where Wallace is believed to live. The 29 January crash – where a helicopter hit a commercial airplane – led to a swarm of claims that diversity was to blame. Ellis, who was not involved in the crash in any way, is a Black Hawk pilot with the Virginia national guard. To dispel the rumors, she posted a video showing she was alive, effectively refuting the claims because all involved in the crash had died. Related: 'Frozen in time': figure skating world unites in grief and tribute at Boston world championships At the time, her name was trending on X. Wallace's posts to his more than 2 million followers about Ellis, naming her as the pilot and in some cases including her photo, received millions of views, the suit notes. It doesn't appear Wallace started the rumor, but he amplified it considerably. As a result, Ellis has received threats, including 'credible death threats', and hateful messages, many of which are transphobic, the suit claims. 'Gaining infamy overnight caused Plaintiff and her family tremendous suffering,' the lawsuit says. 'Plaintiff 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 loved ones. She also feared for her safety and for the safety of her family.' Wallace issued tweets to 'correct' the false information after Ellis posted her proof-of-life video, but the lawsuit categorizes them as 'making excuses for creating viral lies'. Ellis was previously a private citizen, but was 'forced into the public sphere and can no longer remain a private citizen' because of Wallace, the suit claims, saying: 'Given her immediate notoriety and the fact that she is a transgender woman, she fears for the immediate safety of herself and her family on account of the hate inspired against her by Defendant's lies.' Ellis told the New York Times she would donate any monetary damages she could receive in the case to the families of the crash victims. 'I believe in free speech, but I also believe in consequences to free speech,' Ellis told the New York Times. 'If you can stir up a mob because you say something that's not true, that's your right. But once the mob comes after someone, you've got to have some consequences.'
