KSHB 41 reporter Alyssa Jackson has been covering Denton Loudermill Jr.'s story since last year. She was the first to receive the recent update on the lawsuits against Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins and Missouri Senator Rick Brattin. Share your story ideas with Alyssa.
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Lawsuits against Missouri's Secretary of State Denny Hoskins and Missouri Sen. Rick Brattin are moving forward after a federal judge denied motions to dismiss the cases.
Denton Loudermill Jr. and his attorneys sued the politicians for "false light invasion of privacy" following social media posts wrongly depicting him as one of the shooters during the Chiefs' Super Bowl rally in 2024.
Loudermill was briefly detained at the rally for an unrelated matter. He was never arrested.
He died earlier this year, but his family and legal team are still advocating on his behalf.
"He was put in a position he didn’t ask to be in, and now we’re put in a position we didn’t ask to be in. They could’ve apologized, which is what he was asking for. He was asking for an apology. He wanted to be cleared...There’s no other answer than to keep going," said Reba Paul, Denton's sister.
KSHB 41 Alyssa Jackson's last interview with Loudermill for Scripps News Literacy Week was two months before his death.
LaRonna Lassiter Saunders, his attorney, said it would be hard to give up the legal fight now.
"It just makes me sad that Denton is not...he's here but not physically here to see this," she said.
Hoskins' and Brattin's attorneys argued legislative immunity under the Communications Decency Act and Speech and Debate Clause, which is guaranteed in the U.S. Constitution.
The laws protect lawmakers from being sued by people who disagree with policy decisions or comments made by politicians in an official capacity.
However, there are limitations.
This week, Chief United States Magistrate Judge Willie Epps Jr. denied motions to dismiss the lawsuits and explained how Hoskins' and Brattin's actions are not granted legislative protections.
Lassiter Saunders said, "Speech is free, but there are consequences for it and lives connected to what you're saying."
Loudermill's sisters plan to see the lawsuits through to the end.
They warn anyone with negative remarks about their pursuit for justice on behalf of their brother.
"What I would say is don’t…because we really don’t care what they have to say or what they think," Paul said. "This is about my brother and my brother only and what he experienced because people were irresponsible and reckless."
KSHB 41's Alyssa Jackson reached out to Brattin and Hoskins' office Thursday evening for a response to the judge's decision. They have not responded yet.
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