A trans woman who was falsely identified as the helicopter pilot involved in a mid-air crash, in which 67 people died, has filed a defamation lawsuit against the conservative influencer who spread claims about her.

The collision occurred over the Potomac river in Washington DC on 29 January, involving an American Airlines flight from Kansas and a military helicopter, which had three people on board. There were no survivors.

President Donald Trump and vice-president JD Vance were quick to blame diversity, equality and inclusion policies for the crash, claiming these had led to a shortage of air-traffic controllers.

Jo Ellis, a transgender Black Hawk pilot with the Virginia National Guard, who was deployed to Iraq in 2011 in Operation New Dawn, and who earned the Air Medal for serving as a door gunner, was said by some right-wing figures on social media to be flying the helicopter.

Represented by the Equality Legal Action Fund, Ellis is now suing Matthew Wallace, who is alleged to have spread the conspiracy theory to his millions of followers on social media. The lawsuit claims he “concocted a destructive and irresponsible defamation campaign” that monetised a “false narrative” about her.

“The damage caused to plaintiff was instantaneous and immense,” the lawsuit reads.

“Prior to [the] defendant’s campaign, [the] plaintiff was a private citizen who led a private life away from social media and the limelight. When [the] plaintiff awoke on January 31, she discovered she was the second most-trending topic in the United States on X, with more than 90,000 posts mentioning her name or her likeness.

“[The] plaintiff was forced into the public sphere and can no longer remain a private citizen.

“Ellis has received threats, including ‘credible death threats’, and hateful messages, many of which are transphobic. Gaining infamy overnight caused [the] plaintiff and her family tremendous suffering. [She] was devastated that her story was overshadowing the tragic events of the plane crash and likely causing more suffering for the families who lost their loved ones.

“She also feared for her safety and for the safety of her family.”

Ellis told NBC News that she had to arrange private armed security. “I’m now recognised in public and forever associated with that terrible tragedy over the Potomac,” she added. “When I go out in public I have to look over my shoulder.” 

Wallace issued tweets to “correct” the information after Ellis posted a video to prove she was still alive, but the lawsuit categorises them as “making excuses for creating viral lies”, The Guardian reported.

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