Pa. Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman Threatened With Lawsuit Over Blocking Twitter Users
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman is being threatened with a lawsuit over blocking one of his critics on Twitter.
Last week, Fetterman posted a tweet about his wife Giselle, and her being the first Second Lady of Pennsylvania to be a Brazilian Carnaval dancer.
Waiting on confirmation from our PA Historian, gonna go out on a limb, that @giselefetterman is the 1st, Second Lady, Carnaval do Brasil ???????? dancer for Pennsylvania. pic.twitter.com/H0eLyQyqre
— John Fetterman (@JohnFetterman) February 11, 2020
This tweet resulted in commentary from all sides, both good and bad.
Jason Lindemuth, a Republican Committee person from Harrisburg's 14th Ward (according to his Twitter bio), was one of the people with criticism.
Fetterman took this criticism personally and blocked Lindemuth as a result.
This is what a coward does... @FettermanLt pic.twitter.com/klNJCfo3uQ
— Jay Lindemuth (@J_TheRepublican) February 13, 2020
After blocking Lindemuth, Fetterman is now being threatened with legal action.
Lindemuth, along with one other person, have retained legal services from Attorney Marc Scaringi and are demanding an apology via Twitter and demanding to be unblocked.
Per a letter sent from Scaringi's law office to Fetterman, the Lieutenant Governor is being given seven days to apologize and unblock the users.
"The idea that I would have to apologize on my personal account for blocking individuals that demean my family or insert that kind of language or rhetoric is absurd," Fetterman said.
Fetterman tells KDKA he does not plan to apologize and does not block users on his official Twitter.
Should Fetterman not apologize and unblock the users, Scaringi says he will advise his clients to seek a court order for their unblocking and also advise his clients to file a lawsuit with defamation charges.
The full document sent to Fetterman can be seen below.
The ongoing debate surrounding public officials and their use of social media is back in question.
The letter references cases involving President Trump and U.S. Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez both having faced lawsuits in the past over blocking users on Twitter.
Fetterman says he is blocking people on his personal Twitter page, and not his official government page.
He took to Twitter Monday morning to showcase some of the nasty tweets he's received.