Kelcy Warren v. Beto O'Rourke (Defamation)

[Tiredretiredlawyer]

Kelcy Warren v. Beto O'Rourke

Dallas billionaire Kelcy Warren's defamation lawsuit against Texas Democratic gubernatorial nominee Beto O'Rourke, filed Feb. 18, 2022, in San Saba County County.

[Tiredretiredlawyer]

https://www.dallasnews.com/news/electio ... efamation/

Beto O’Rourke says Dallas pipeline billionaire Kelcy Warren’s defamation lawsuit won’t silence him
“O’Rourke’s statements are flat-out false ... made for political gain in a desperate attempt to overcome what appears to be a weakening campaign to unseat Governor Abbott,” Warren’s company says.

Beto O’Rourke is being sued for defamation by Dallas billionaire Kelcy Warren in what the Democratic gubernatorial nominee describes as an effort to silence him from criticizing energy companies that he says made illegal profits from last year’s winter storm that left millions without power.

Warren is the chairman and CEO of Energy Transfer.

“All I have done today, and all I’ve done over the course of the campaign, is to share these facts with the electorate that will decide the outcome of this next election,” O’Rourke said during a news conference in Dallas.

“I want to make sure that there is justice for those who were killed effectively by this governor. I’ll make sure that there’s justice for the ratepayer who is now forced to foot the bill for these illegal windfall profits made by the gas companies and Energy Transfer Partners and others here in the state of Texas.”

“Beto O’Rourke clearly hasn’t read or doesn’t understand the lawsuit filed personally by Kelcy Warren. Mr. Warren is not interested in barring Mr. O’Rourke from talking about the winter storm. That is the right of every Texan and every American,” the statement from the company said. “What Mr. Warren is interested in stopping are the irresponsible, defamatory and highly offensive statements by Mr. O’Rourke related to his donation to Governor Abbott’s campaign.”

The statement added that it is the right of “every Texan and every American to contribute to the campaigns of candidates they support without being defamed in the process.”

[bob]

The money allegation:

Within the last two months, Defendant O’Rourke has repeatedly stated, with no basis in fact whatsoever, that Warren “broke the law” and committed felonies — extortion, bribery, and corruption — when he purportedly “bought [] off” Governor Abbott “not to fix” the power grid in Texas so that EnergyTransfer supposedly could make money in the event the grid failed. Warren has not spoken publicly nor sought publicity concerning the matters that are the subject of Defendant O’Rourke’s baseless accusations

Warren is attempting the "I'm just humble country boy, and therefore a not a public figure, who just happens to be a billionaire oil tycoon who has given an obscene amount of money to the governor."

I'll let the locals opine, but WAG is a judge is going to rule Warren is some sort of public figure, making "actual malice" kick in. And Wallace won't be able to show actual malice.

I predict O'Rourke will file an anti-SLAPP motion; again, I'll defer to locals on that one.

[Tiredretiredlawyer]

I wuz hoping you wuz thinking that, bob.

[northland10]

I assume he is using his ranch property in San Saba as his "residence" in hopes to get a more useful judge and/or jury than he might get in an urban area like Dallas.