Idaho drag performer awarded $1.1 million in defamation case against far-right blogger

COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho (AP) — A jury has awarded more than $1.1 million to an Idaho drag performer who accused a far-right blogger of defaming him when she falsely claimed that he exposed himself to a crowd, including children, in 2022. The Kootenai County District Court jury unanimously found that Summer Bushnell defamed Post Falls resident Eric Posey when she posted a doctored video of his performance at a Pride event with a blurred spot that she claimed covered his “fully exposed genitals.” In reality the unedited video showed no indecent exposure, and prosecutors said no crime was committed. Posey said after Friday’s verdict that the “judicial system did what needed to be done.”