Defamation case against Nebraska Republican Party should be heard by a jury, state’s high court says

By MARGERY A. BECK
Associated Press

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska Supreme Court has found that a jury should hear former Republican state legislative candidate Janet Palmtag’s lawsuit accusing her own political party of defamation. The decision Friday reversed a lower court’s ruling in which a judge sided with the Nebraska Republican Party by tossing out the lawsuit before a jury could hear it. The lawsuit centers on campaign mailers sent out by the party in 2020 falsely claiming Palmtag “broke the law” and “lost her real estate license.” The high court says Palmtag presented enough evidence that a jury could find the state GOP had defamed her.