The costs of damages resulting from defamation lawsuits filed against three state senators will not be covered by Missouri taxpayers, according to Governor Mike Parson on Monday.
In a letter to the commissioner of the Office of Administration, the state agency that certifies payments from Missouri’s legal expense fund, Parson stated that no payments related to the lawsuits should be certified “without my approval or a court order.”
“I cannot justify money spent in this way,” Parson wrote.
A spokesperson for the Office of Administration confirmed that the agency will comply with the governor’s directive and Missouri law.
Last month, Denton Loudermill filed a federal lawsuit against GOP state Sens. Rick Brattin, Denny Hoskins, and Nick Schroer over posts they made on social media falsely accusing him of being the shooter at the Kansas City Chiefs victory parade.
Loudermill, who was born in Kansas, was not involved in the shooting.
The three senators are being represented by Attorney General Andrew Bailey, who argues they were acting in their official capacity when making the posts on social media.
Parson, who appointed Bailey as attorney general, criticized his decision to use taxpayer resources to defend the senators, stating that “you don’t get a free pass just because you’re a politician.”
Parson reiterated in his letter that the senators “falsely accused an American citizen of a heinous act and related it to his immigration status.”
He emphasized that Missourians should not be held liable for legal expenses on judgments due to state senators falsely attacking a private citizen on social media.
Madeline Sieren, Bailey’s spokesperson, stated that Bailey is following the law as written and that the court will ultimately decide the issue.
Parson’s decision not to pay any potential damages awarded to Loudermill would not be the first time the Office of Administration has blocked payment in a controversial legal expense.
In 2018, shortly after then-Gov. Eric Greitens resigned from office, the agency refused to pay the $180,000 in fees to private attorneys who represented him during impeachment proceedings.
The latest legal saga began when an anonymous account on Twitter falsely accused Loudermill of being the shooter at the Chiefs parade and in the country illegally.
This post, with a seated photo of Loudermill in handcuffs, incorrectly identified him with a name associated with misinformation posted after other shootings.
Loudermill was briefly detained by police because he was too slow to leave the area when violence broke out during the parade.
The Missouri Freedom Caucus, Hoskins, Brattin, and Schroer posted their own versions on Twitter soon after.
The post accusing Loudermill of being an undocumented immigrant and the shooter has since been deleted.
Hoskins, Brattin, and Schroer have all posted false information linking Loudermill to the shooting.
Schroer’s post included a link to one stating that “One of the Kansas City Chiefs victory parade shooters has been identified as an illegal Alien.”
Missouri Independent is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Missouri Independent maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jason Hancock for questions: [email protected]. Follow Missouri Independent on Facebook and Twitter.
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