A Texas couple is suing Delaware right-wing activist Lauren Witzke after she accused the two men of human trafficking and pedophilia in response to the men posting about the birth of their surrogate twins on social media.
Experts say the lawsuit's filing can be seen as a cautionary reminder of limits people have when trolling online, even when it involves social media influencers such as Eric Vaughn — owner of a Houston hair salon who happens to have nearly half a million TikTok followers.
"If you tell a vicious lie about someone, as Lauren Witzke has done in the case of Eric Vaughn, the person can sue you for defamation," said Juliet Dee, a University of Delaware associate professor of communication, who focuses on First Amendment law. "If one avoids telling vicious lies about someone whom one has never even met, one will not be a defendant in a defamation suit."
Witzke, who ran for U.S. Senate and lost to Chris Coons in 2020, did not respond to a list of questions concerning the lawsuit and her online posts.
Vaughn filed his defamation lawsuit last week in Texas' District Court of Harris County, where most of Houston is located. In addition to seeking no more than $75,000 in damages, Vaughn said he filed the legal action to make an example of Witzke and discourage her from spewing such comments about anyone in the future.
"We're fighting for our family," Vaughn told Delaware Online/The News Journal. "We're fighting for every LGBTQ person...
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