An Idaho drag performer received more than a $1 million in damages in a defamation suit against a blogger who falsely claimed the performer exposed himself to a crowd that included children, according to an attorney for the performer.
A jury on Friday ruled that Summer Bushnell defamed Eric Posey by posting on Facebook a doctored video of Posey performing at a Pride event in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, in 2022, and falsely telling her followers that Posey flashed his genitals, according to the attorney, Wendy J. Olson.
The jury awarded Posey $926,000 in compensatory damages for defamation and an additional $250,000 for punitive damages, which were based on the argument that Bushnell knew her claims were false when she made them, Olson said.
"Mr. Posey's life was forever changed when Summer Bushnell falsely accused him of a crime," Olson said in a statement. "The jury's unanimous verdict and its award of $1.176 million in damages sends the clear message that truth matters, that facts matter and that you can't dehumanize and damage someone to suit your own purposes."
An attorney for Bushnell did not immediately return a request for comment.
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