Missouri AG will represent senators sued for identifying man as rally shooter

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey will represent three state senators who falsely identified an Olathe man as the Chiefs rally shooter, his office confirmed.

In April, Denton Loudermill sued Missouri Sens. Rick Brattin, Denny Hoskins and Nick Schroer, all republicans.

On the day of the chaotic shooting, Loudermill was placed in handcuffs and walked in them for a few blocks.

RELATED | 'Clear it up': Olathe man wrongfully identified as Super Bowl rally shooter wants apology

A photo of him was widely circulated on social media, identifying him as an "illegal immigrant" and accusing him of being the shooter.

Brattin was among the many who reposted multiple false posts about Loudermill.

Loudermill's lawsuit against the three senators accuses them of false light invasion of privacy.

In an email to KSHB 41, a spokesperson for Bailey's confirmed the three senators are being represented through a legal expense fund created through a Missouri state statute .

Bailey argues the senators qualify to be represented through the fund because they're elected officials.

Bailey has submitted a motion to dismiss the case against Brattin.

READ | Bailey's motion to dismiss lawsuit against Brattin

The motion argues the United States District Court for the District of Kansas lacks power to oversee the case against Brattin for multiple reasons.

Among the arguments are that Loudermill is suing Brattin for an event that happened in Missouri, and not in Kansas where the lawsuit was filed.

"At no point has Plaintiff demonstrated that Defendant purposefully directed any online posts at Kansas or made Kansas the focal point of any online message. As such, under Tenth Circuit precedent, Defendant lacks sufficient minimum contacts with Kansas for this Court to exercise personal jurisdiction over him," the motion states.

KSHB 41 received a statement from Loudermill’s attorney LaRonna Lassiter-Saunders.

“We are not suing the Senators in their official capacity. It would seem this use of tax dollars would raise concerns and questions from Missouri residents. One question being, if a resident was sued in a non-official capacity, would the Attorney General come to their rescue and represent them?"

KSHB 41 has reached out to Brattin, Hoskins and Schroer for comment. This story will be updated if a response is received.

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