“NYCGayDad” files defamation lawsuit against white supremacist Stew PetersBrooklyn widower was attacked online in homophobic rant
“NYCGayDad” files defamation lawsuit against white supremacist Stew Peters
August 1, 2024 – Social media personality José Rolón is suing Stew Peters, a right-wing internet commentator, for defamation and bias-related intimidation after Peters posted a hate-filled tirade online inciting others to attack Rolón and his family. The lawsuit against Peters and his company was filed with the Supreme Court of the State of New York, Kings County (Brooklyn) by C.A. Goldberg, PLLC, a victims’ rights law firm specialized in representing victims of defamation, stalking, sexual assault, and extreme injuries facilitated by online platforms.
The five-count lawsuit enumerates all the defamatory statements made by Peters against Rolón, and also sues him for bias-related intimidation under New York Civil Rights Law. The lawsuit asks for compensatory and punitive damages, legal costs, and disgorgement of all financial gains from harassing Rolón. As stated in the complaint, “Stewart Peters is an American alt-right internet personality, conspiracy theorist, and political commentator. He regularly promotes anti-LGBTQ+ and white supremacist beliefs and has engaged in Holocaust denial.”
“The sort of harassment and incitement my client and his young family suffered may be celebrated online, but a Brooklyn jury will look at it very, very differently,” said Carrie Goldberg, the firm’s founder. “Peters may be tempted to double down in retaliation for my client availing himself of the courts, but that will just increase the damages we seek.”
Rolón is a Brooklyn-based wedding planner who is raising his three children alone after the death of his husband ten years ago. Under the handle @nycgaydad, he posts fun and light-hearted videos about the joys and challenges of being a gay single father.
On February 23rd, Rolón woke up to discover that his social media accounts had been tagged by Peters. In an hour-long video, Peters ranted about homosexuality and, without a shred of evidence, accused Rolón of sexually abusing his own children. Peters also tagged the New York Police Department and pressured the agency to investigate Rolón. Peters was later forced to take down the videos after Rolón’s attorney sent a cease-and-desist letter.
The lawsuit states “Peters stirs up user engagement across [the 1.6 million followers on his] platforms by convincing his followers that Christian Americans are under attack by Jews, the LGBTQ+ community, and other marginalized groups, often unleashing a frenzy on specific individuals who are representative of those communities, such as small-town mayors who allow Pride parades.”
Goldberg noted, “There’s a responsibility that comes with having as far a reach as Peters has. Our country has fought hard for First Amendment protections. But free speech never extends to inciting people to harass private citizens and make hoax police reports against them.”
“It just takes one rogue believer to upend a life,” she added. “I represented victims at the center of the ‘Pizzagate’ scandal when a believer shot up the restaurant to free purported babies from a nonexistent basement.”
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C.A. Goldberg, PLLC, (Brooklyn, New York) litigates against big tech and powerful predators at work, home, school, and online. The firm is made up of a dozen legal professionals representing victims of sexual assault and abuse, blackmail, sextortion, revenge porn, stalking, intimate partner violence, and related crimes. Principal Carrie Goldberg, Esq. has a long history representing clients harmed by the most powerful companies and predators. She is the author of the harrowing memoir “Nobody’s Victim: Fighting Psychos, Stalkers, Pervs, and Trolls” (2019 New York Times Editor’s Choice). Goldberg and Senior Associate Laura Hecht-Felella are the lead attorneys on this case.
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“NYCGayDad” fights back! Rightwing conspiracy pundit retreats in the face of defamationcharges, takes down offensive videos about Brooklyn widower
June 17, 2024 – José Rolón, an award-winning social media personality who goes by the handle @nycgaydad, is taking on a right-wing internet talk show host who posted a hate-filled, defamatory tirade about the widowed dad.Rolón’s pro bono attorneys at Locke Lord LLP sent a cease-and-desist letter to Peters demanding that Stew Peters Network remove all videos that mention Rolón or his children. Peters’ company quickly capitulated; within days the videos were taken down.
“This is a win, not just for me and for my family, but for anyone who has been unfairly targeted by right-wingers using hate for entertainment,” said Rolón. “We have to stand up to these bullies and trolls. Free speech doesn’t mean you are free to say anything you want just to get clicks and views. Hate shouldn’t be a business model.”
Wikipedia describes Peters as a “white nationalist,” “Holocaust denier,” “conspiracy theorist,” known for his “anti-LGBTQ, antisemitic, and white supremacist beliefs.”
On February 23rd, Rolón woke up to discover that his social media accounts had been tagged by Peters in an hour-long video in which he ranted about homosexuality and, without a shred of evidence, accused Rolón of sexually abusing his own children. Peters also tagged the New York Police Department and pressured the agency to investigate Rolón.
Even worse, Peters said Rolón should be “met at the gallows,” leading some of his followers to post threatening suggestions about how they would execute the father of three. Instagram shut down Peters’ account, but the video proliferated on Rumble and other platforms, garnering hundreds of ugly comments and threats. Peters also published photos of the children and other information that could easily lead his followers to the family’s Brooklyn home.
“Most of our videos and social media posts are fun and light-hearted,” says Rolón. “They show the joy and challenges of being a single LGBTQ+ dad. I couldn’t wrap my brain around why Peters decided to target me and my family. It was terrifying to think that the people who posted threatening comments could easily show up where we live and where my children go to school.”
Rolón has been a single dad for virtually all of the children’s lives; his husband died shortly after their son was born and while their surrogate was pregnant with twin girls. Sharing both the challenges and the joys of single parenthood, his entertaining and uplifting posts have garnered him over half a million followers, as well as several awards for being a champion for the LGBTQ+ community.
When he discovered Peters’ video, Rolón was stunned and unsure what to do. But friends and followers urged him to fight back, and offered to support a legal effort. A reluctant Rolón opened a GoFundMe account, which almost overnight exceeded its goal. Touchingly, the largest contributions were from customers of Rolón’s wedding planning business.
“I was there for them on their happiest days, and they were there for me on one of my toughest,” Rolon said. “I am beyond grateful for all the support. It’s good to know I am not in this fight alone.” Rolón is assessing next steps.
“Yes, I wanted the videos about my family to come down, but is that enough? What about the next family he sets out to destroy?” said Rolón. “It’s time to hold these awful hate-mongers accountable for the things they say. I’m blessed with a platform to speak out and to fight back, and I am figuring out the best way to do that.”