A Kansas man is suing Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., over social media posts falsely identifying him as an undocumented immigrant and one of the shooters in the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl parade that turned deadly. The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Kansas City, Kansas, alleges that Denton Loudermill Jr. sustained damages in excess of $75,000 as a result of the false representation of him on Burchett’s personal social media account. Loudermill was wrongly accused of being an “alien,” “illegal alien,” and “shooter” in the posts, which were widely circulated among Burchett’s followers.
The lawsuit claims that Burchett’s initial post, which identified Loudermill as one of the parade shooters and an undocumented immigrant, was reposted over 21,000 times and had 7.2 million views before being removed by Burchett. In a subsequent post, Burchett acknowledged his mistake in identifying Loudermill as an undocumented immigrant but still suggested that Loudermill was one of the shooters. Loudermill has reported mental distress and death threats as a result of the false accusations and seeks damages under a Kansas privacy law.
A spokesperson for Burchett did not respond to a request for comment, and Loudermill’s attorney declined to specify the amount of damages being sought. Federal courts require cases involving damages between individuals from different states to exceed $75,000, and Loudermill, a resident of Olathe, Kansas, meets this threshold. Loudermill attended the Chiefs’ victory parade on Feb. 14 and was mistakenly captured in photographs in handcuffs after getting caught in the chaotic aftermath of the shooting incident.
The shooting at the Chiefs parade resulted in the death of one woman and injuries to over 20 others. Two men, Dominic M. Miller and Lyndell Mays, were charged with second-degree murder, armed criminal action, and unlawful use of a weapon in connection with the shooting. A third individual, Terry J. Young, was also charged in relation to the incident. Additionally, three juveniles have faced charges in family court. Burchett, who has targeted immigration issues leading up to the election, represents Tennessee’s 2nd Congressional District and has served in various political roles.
Burchett took office in January 2019 after serving as Knox County mayor and working as a state legislator. He won re-election in 2022 with 67.9% of the vote and is seeking re-election this year. Former President Donald Trump’s claims of a migrant-driven crime wave in the U.S. have been echoed by some Republicans, including Burchett, despite the lack of evidence supporting such claims. The legal battle between Loudermill and Burchett highlights the impact of social media misinformation and false accusations on individuals’ lives and reputations.
