TPM has obtained the complaint filed by Shirley Sherrod in D.C. Superior Court against Andrew Breitbart. The suit alleges that Sherrod was forced to resign last year after the defendants “ignited a media firestorm by publishing false and defamatory statements.”
Three defendants are named: Breitbart, Breitbart.tv head Larry O’Connor and a “John Doe,” who allegedly edited the original video of Sherrod’s speech, and “whose identity has been concealed by the other Defendants,” according to the complaint.
The complaint alleges that the defendants “defamed Mrs. Sherrod by editing and publishing an intentionally false and misleading clip,” which went on to do “extensive and irreparable harm to Mrs. Sherrod and her reputation.”
The suit asks for Breitbart’s post and the video to be pulled down by Breitbart and O’Connor, as well as for an order to prevent the defendants from “engaging in future tortious conduct against Mrs. Sherrod,” and seeks compensatory damages of no less than $5,001 and additional punitive damages.
“Most difficult for Mrs. Sherrod is her inability to continue in a career that she loved,” the complaint states.
Read the whole complaint here.
Eric Lach
Eric Lach is a reporter for TPM. From 2010 to 2011, he was a news writer in charge of the website’s front page. He has previously written for The Daily, NewYorker.com, GlobalPost and other publications. He can be reached at ericl(at)talkingpointsmemo.com
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