Transgender US pilot sues influencer for defamation over crash claims

• A transgender US pilot, Jo Ellis, filed a defamation lawsuit against influencer Matt Wallace for false claims.
• Wallace accused Ellis of causing a helicopter crash, leading to threats and her temporary relocation.
• Ellis’ lawsuit highlights the impact of disinformation on transgender individuals and aims to hold spreaders accountable.

A transgender American pilot filed a defamation lawsuit today (NZT) against a conservative influencer who falsely claimed on social media that she was flying a military helicopter that collided with a passenger jet in Washington in late January.

Jo Ellis sued Matt Wallace, an influencer with 2.2 million followers on X, saying he “concocted a destructive and irresponsible defamation campaign” against her following the crash that killed 67 people aboard both aircraft, according to the lawsuit filed in the United States District Court in Colorado.

One of his posts, which garnered millions of views, said the Black Hawk pilot might have participated in a “trans terror attack”, falsely accusing her of intentionally causing the mid-air collision due to her “depression” and “gender dysphoria”, according to the lawsuit.

There was no immediate comment from Wallace, who later deleted his posts about Ellis.

An American Airlines flight from Wichita, Kansas collided midair with a military Black Hawk helicopter while on approach to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport outside of Washington, DC. Photo / Getty Images

The suit further accused Wallace of using his prominent stature on X, where he maintains multiple accounts, of seeking to “monetise a false narrative”.

As tens of thousands of social media posts falsely accused Ellis of piloting the ill-fated helicopter, she was worried that someone might track down her home using public records.

She told AFP in an interview in February that she was forced to temporarily move her family to a new location and arrange for private armed security.

The damage caused by Wallace was “instantaneous and immense”, resulting in suffering for her family due to the hate inspired by his “lies”, the lawsuit added.

Ellis eventually posted a “proof of life” video on Facebook, which quelled only some of the rumours.

The threats facing Ellis, who has served in the National Guard since 2009 and has deployed to Iraq and Kuwait, highlight the real-life impact of disinformation for transgender people at a time when there has been a sharp uptick in the political rhetoric against them.

The transgender community has become a flashpoint in US culture wars. President Donald Trump has signed several executive orders targeting them, including one instructing the Government to recognise only two sexes, male and female.

In the aftermath of the crash, Trump had suggested — without offering any evidence — that the aviation authority’s diversity hiring practices could partly be to blame for it, making trans people a ripe target for online rumours.

Ellis’ lawsuit is part of a trend that has seen defamation lawsuits increasingly becoming a tool used by US citizens and pro-democracy groups to hold misinformation spreaders financially and personally accountable.

In 2023, Dominion Voting Systems secured a US$787.5 million ($1.4 billion) settlement from Fox News after suing over false claims that its machines altered votes.

- Agence France-Presse