Jo Ellis, a Black Hawk helicopter pilot in the Virginia Army National Guard, has filed a defamation lawsuit after he was wrongly accused of flying a helicopter that killed 67 people by a helicopter suspected of suffering a devastating air crash.
The incident occurred when a military Blackhawk helicopter collided with a U.S. Airlines jet, claiming all lives on both planes.
Ellis claims she has been the target of false and malicious claims by social media influencer Matt Wallace, who has more than 2.3 million followers. According to the lawsuit, Wallace posted photos of Ellis online, mistakenly identifying her as a pilot involved in the crash and labeled the tragedy as a “counter-terrorist attack.” He further suggested that Ellis intentionally led to a collision caused by “depression” and “gender irritability.”
The post quickly spread, leading to a widespread rebound and threat to Ellis. In the lawsuit, Ellis described Wallace as a “notorious transgender person” who used her gender identity to drive false narratives, knowing that it would attract attention. She noted that he chose to target her because she was a trans pilot and was recently informed that she could be fired due to the new executive order.
In response to false claims, Ellis posted a video proving she was alive and not involved in the crash. Still, Wallace tried to make the blame blame by pointing his finger at another influencer on social media platform X (formerly Twitter).
As the posts have caused widespread misinformation and hatred, Ellis said she is now worried about her life and the safety of her family. She has since hired private security guards and started carrying guns for protection.
Ellis is seeking unspecified damages in the lawsuit.
