OMAHA- No immediate decision was reached on Friday during the first hearing of a case alleging that the Nebraska Freedom Coalition, a conservative political action committee, had defamed state Sen. Megan Hunt after accusing her of grooming her transgender son. Douglas County District Judge Todd Engleman, the case's presiding judge, took both sides' arguments under advisement, and took no action on the Coalition's motion to dismiss the suit.

The initial complaint was filed by the Nebraska Legal Action Fund on behalf of Hunt, and accused the Freedom Coalition of making "intentional, reckless, and knowingly false statements." The Coalition's claims, which were cited in the lawsuit, were made on Twitter after Hunt shared that her son was transgender during a floor debate over LB574, a bill that bans gender-affirming care for minors in Nebraska. Following these statements, the Legal Action Fund demanded that the Coalition retract its claims of grooming, but the Coalition doubled down.

The Coalition later filed its motion of dismissal, with their attorney, Robert Sullivan, arguing that Hunt's case was "fatally flawed." Former state Sen. Adam Morfeld, who now leads the Legal Action Fund, claimed in his argument that Hunt and her family have been subjected to harassment and threats of violence ever since the Coalition's accusations were posted. Sullivan argued that the Coalition was simply responding to Hunt's claims about LB574, and was only expressing an opinion on a political issue. He went on to say, "As unpleasant and unfortunate as it is, political discussions often devolve into little more than childish tantrums."

For the full article click HERE