A mother and activist who criticized a “social justice coordinator” was able to overcome a defamation lawsuit by a former English teacher.
Mary MacCudden accused Scarlett Johnson of harming her reputation when Johnson wrote critical messages in Oct. 2022 about MacCudden’s job at the Mequon-Thiensville School District in Wisconsin.
‘I felt I had to fight back in this case. … I had to stand up because this would never stop.’
“Why the hell am I paying for a ‘Social Justice Coordinator’ in my school district?” Johnson wrote with a screenshot of MacCudden’s LinkedIn profile. “This is just what @mtschools needs; more woke, White women w/ a god complex. Thank you, White savior.”
Johnson went on to describe diversity, equity, and inclusion practitioners as “woke lunatics” who “bully” parents “into silence and compliance.”
Attorneys for the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty argued that Johnson’s criticisms were merely “run-of-the-mill social media posts” that were protected under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
The Wisconsin Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday on Johnson’s side.
“We conclude that Johnson’s statements do not constitute defamation. Thus, we reverse and remand for the circuit court to enter summary judgment in Johnson’s favor,” the court said.
The ruling found some of the terms she used were subjective, while others were “vague and do not have a clear meaning or definition.”
Johnson told Fox News Digital that the lawsuit was intended to silence parents from criticizing DEI policies.
“I felt I had to fight back in this case. It couldn’t be like the other. I had to stand up because this would never stop,” she said. “They’d keep going after parents like me.”
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Luke Berg, the deputy counsel for WILL, praised the ruling.
“Scarlett, like all of us, has the right to question and criticize her government,” read the statement. “The defamation lawsuit against her was meritless and should have been promptly dismissed. We are pleased that the Court agreed, and that Scarlett can put this distraction behind her.”
MacCudden’s attorney, James McAlister, did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
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