In 2022, a “gadfly journalist” named David Wheeler, d/b/a American Muckrackers, made sensational allegations about GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert’s personal history which I won’t repeat here.
In response, Boebert went on Fox to defend her reputation, and threatened to sue Wheeler, American Muckrakers, and its donors, but she never did. Wheeler, however, sued Boebert in June 2023 for defamation and loss of donations.
Boebert sought to dismiss Wheeler’s lawsuit under Colorado’s anti-SLAPP statute. On Sunday, June 9, 2024, a federal magistrate denied that motion, and made a preliminary determination that Wheeler’s defamation claim lacks merit but Boebert can be held liable for threatening to sue his donors.
Unless a federal judge disagrees (the magistrate’s determination is only a recommendation), this means Wheeler’s damages claim against Boebert can go to trial, but Wheeler’s original allegations about Boebert’s personal history will not come up in the trial.
Read story here for more details about the case, and the magistrate’s reasoning.