Mace sued for defamation by man she accused of abuse in floor speech

Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) is facing a defamation lawsuit filed by one of the four men she has publicly accused of sexual abuse in a floor speech, in a case that could test the legal protections members of Congress have for their official conduct.

The South Carolinian took to the House floor last month to accuse her ex-fiance, Charleston businessman Patrick Bryant, and three other men of rape, sex trafficking and nonconsensually filming sex acts with her and others.

Now Brian Musgrave, one of the other men Mace named on the House floor, is suing the member of Congress for defamation.

In the lawsuit, filed in federal court in South Carolina, he categorically denied the allegations leveled against him by Mace — saying he was not present during any alleged events Mace described and did not "film" or "incapacitate" anyone — adding she “and her team destroyed the lives” of Musgrave and his family.

The suit seeks an unspecified award for compensatory and punitive damages to be determined by a jury “sufficient to impress upon the Defendant the seriousness of her conduct and to deter such similar conduct in the future.”

When asked for a comment on the lawsuit, a spokesperson for Mace directed POLITICO to her original floor speech and a letter purportedly from House lawyers defending her speech as protected. Mace's office declined to supply the letter, instead pointing to a local news article quoting it.

The legal action also seeks to carve out an exception from the speech or debate clause of the Constitution, which provides a legal shield for members of Congress for acts taken as part of their roles as lawmakers, including “any Speech or Debate in either House.”

The clause “does not transform the floor of Congress into a sanctuary for defamation, nor does it protect Congresswoman Mace’s extra-Congressional defamatory statements surrounding her speech,” Musgrave’s suit asserts.

His lawsuit also points to some of Mace’s actions outside the House floor, including a draft of the speech circulating and posts on social media.

In her February speech, Mace claimed she was speaking out because South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson had declined to act upon evidence of abuse that she said she provided. But the top state prosecutor said Mace’s accusations of improper conduct by his office were “categorically false,” claiming the office had “no knowledge” of Mace’s alleged assault until her speech on the House floor.

Wilson and Mace are both considering bids for South Carolina governor in the state’s 2026 election.

Shortly after Mace’s public speech, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division confirmed that it is investigating Bryant. Bryant has categorically denied Mace’s allegations.

Topics

Mace sued for defamation by man she accused of abuse in floor speech

The legal action seeks to carve out an exception from the speech or debate clause of the Constitution.
Politico - 4d
Mace sued for defamation over allegations in stunning floor speech

A man Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) accused of being part of a group of “predators” in a stunning House floor speech is suing her for defamation. The complaint, filed Friday in federal court, sets up a ...
The Hill - 4d
Accused Texas megachurch pastor to surrender in Oklahoma on child sexual abuse charges

A former pastor of a Texas megachurch is expected to turn himself into Oklahoma authorities Monday on child sexual abuse charges.
NBC News - 2d
Man accused of hiding stolen ruby slippers from "Wizard of Oz" is dead

A federal judge has dismissed the charges against a Minnesota man accused of hiding a stolen pair of ruby slippers that Judy Garland wore in "The Wizard of Oz." Prosecutors informed the court ...
CBS News - 1d
Man accused of hiding stolen ruby slippers from "Wizard of Oz" is dead

A federal judge has dismissed the charges against a Minnesota man accused of hiding a stolen pair of ruby slippers that Judy Garland wore in "The Wizard of Oz." Prosecutors informed the court ...
CBS News - 1d
Trump's use of Alien Enemies Act blasted as abuse of power

The White House’s use of the Alien Enemies Act to remove Venezuelans it has accused of being gang members is an abuse of war powers that critics say could open the door to mass deportations from a ...
The Hill - 20h
Prosecutors say Minnesota man accused of hiding stolen ruby slippers from 'The Wizard of Oz' is dead

A federal judge has dismissed the charges against a Minnesota man accused of hiding a stolen pair of ruby slippers that Judy Garland wore in “The Wizard of Oz.” Prosecutors informed the court ...
ABC News - 2d
Man accused of hiding stolen 'Wizard of Oz' ruby slippers dies ahead of court hearing

Federal charges against the man accused of hiding a stolen pair of ruby slippers Judy Garland wore in "The Wizard of Oz" were dropped Monday after the suspect died.
NBC News - 1d
This story isn’t about the priest who abused me. It’s about my mother

She was a master archivist of lies, enabling my stepfather’s crimes against me and my siblings. Despite everything, I needed to believe she loved me. The church, though aware of our abuser’s ...
The Guardian - Mar. 11
Texas man accused of violent assault on American Airlines flight to D.C.

The FBI arrested a Texas man, Asterius Rulamka, for allegedly beating one passenger, attempting to strike another, injuring a second passenger and vulgarly berating a flight attendant.
CBS News - Mar. 10
Abuse would lead me to walk away from Man Utd, says Ratcliffe

Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe says he would walk away if he gets "abused" by fans in the same way the Glazer family have.
BBC News - 4d
Ratcliffe would walk away from Man Utd if abuse reaches Glazer level

Manchester United co-owner Jim Ratcliffe said he will walk away from the club should the abuse he has received reach the same level endured by the Glazer family.The British billionaire has not yet ...
Yahoo Sports - 4d
Connecticut's 'lax' homeschooling rules could have aided boy's abuse, some education advocates say

After a Connecticut woman was accused of holding her stepson captive for two decades, education advocates said the state’s largely unregulated homeschooling system could allow abusive parents to ...
NBC News - 5d
Community speaks out after woman accused of holding man captive for years

The former principal and neighbors of a man who authorities believe was being held captive by his stepmother for 20 years in Waterbury, Connecticut, are speaking out. Kimberly Sullivan was arrested ...
NBC News - 6d
Woman charged after allegedly holding her stepson captive for more than 20 years

Kimberly Sullivan is accused of cruelty and abusing her stepson for more than 20 years. Police say the victim, a 32-year-old man, said he was kept locked away in a room since he was 11 years old. ...
CBS News - 6d
Man accused of violent assault on American Airlines flight from Wichita to D.C.

A Texas man has been arrested by the FBI for an alleged assault against multiple people on an American Airlines flight exactly five weeks after another American Airlines flight crashed while ...
CBS News - Mar. 11
Daughter of Pelicot Accuses Him of Rape in Police Complaint

Dominique Pelicot, who was convicted of drugging and raping his wife for years, had denied abusing his daughter in a trial that horrified France.
The New York Times - Mar. 7
Parents of Student Missing in the Dominican Republic Believe She Drowned

The student, Sudiksha Konanki, 20, was on spring break in Punta Cana when she disappeared this month, prompting a search effort. An American man who had been seen with her attended a court hearing ...
The New York Times - 1h
Police detail over 20 years of abuse they say captive man suffered from stepmom

A severely emaciated Connecticut man was allegedly forced to urinate in bottles and locked inside for nearly 24 hours a day during two decades of captivity by his stepmother, police said Thursday.
NBC News - 6d
Community reacts with shock over Connecticut man allegedly held captive for over 20 years

Locals who lived near a Connecticut house where a man was allegedly held captive and abused by his stepmother for two decades remain stunned at the reported shocking hidden abuse that occurred in ...
NBC News - 5d
Bumble Bee Foods Is Accused of Tolerating Forced Labor in Supply Chain

In a lawsuit filed in California, the plaintiffs said that Bumble Bee Foods was aware of and benefited from abuse by suppliers. The company declined to comment.
The New York Times - 6d
Fourth former Indiana University basketball player joins lawsuit accusing team doctor of sex abuse

The number of former Indiana University basketball players who say team doctor Bradford Bomba Sr.
NBC News - 6d
Woman who accused Worthy gets protective order

Attorneys for Tia Jones confirmed she was granted a protective order against Chiefs receiver Xavier Worthy, adding that she is "fully cooperating with law enforcement as they continue to actively ...
ESPN - 6d
Trump calls out perceived opponents in Justice Department speech

President Donald Trump made a rare appearance at the Justice Department on Friday where he accused DOJ officials of weaponizing their power and illegally targeting him and his allies for political ...
NBC News - 4d
Fear at isolated Antarctica base as man accused of attacking colleague, threats

South African officials say a member of a research team at an isolated Antarctica base has been put under psychological evaluation after he allegedly assaulted and sexually harassed colleagues
ABC News - 1d
Man charged in US Capitol attack announces run for Senate in Florida

Jake Lang, charged with attacking police during riot and pardoned by Trump, seeks to fill seat Marco Rubio’s old seat. US politics live – latest updates A man accused of battling police with a ...
The Guardian - 1d
How Oklahoma's AG used a frontier-era law to charge Robert Morris in sex abuse scandal

Megachurch founder Robert Morris was indicted by Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond after Cindy Clemishire publicly accused Morris of molesting her in the 1980s
NBC News - 5d
Woman accused in death of Telemundo reporter should not have been free when he died, AG says

Other men have accused the Louisiana woman linked to the death of a Super Bowl reporter of drugging and robbing them — and she shouldn’t have been on probation when the reporter was found dead last ...
NBC News - Mar. 11
Michelle Mone and Doug Barrowman accuse Covid inquiry of 'cover-up'

She says husband Doug Barrowman and her are targets of a "politically motivated witch hunt".
BBC News - 5d
Newsmax paid $40M to settle Smartmatic defamation claims: Filing

Conservative cable channel Newsmax paid $40 million to settle a 2020 election defamation lawsuit brought by voting systems software provider Smartmatic out of court, a new filing shows. The ...
The Hill - 5d
Florida teen kidnapped and possibly dismembered after meeting man on social media, police say

A Florida teenager was kidnapped and possibly dismembered after meeting up with a man she met through a social media application last month.
NBC News - Mar. 8
Hunter accused of killing endangered mother bear claims self-defense

Andre Rives was boar-hunting in 2021 when a female bear nicknamed Caramelles attacked him. "She was eating my leg," he said. "I reloaded my rifle and fired."
CBS News - 4h
Hunter accused of killing endangered mother bear claims self-defense

Andre Rives was boar-hunting in 2021 when a female bear nicknamed Caramelles attacked him. "She was eating my leg," he said. "I reloaded my rifle and fired."
CBS News - 4h
TSA union sues Noem over stripping of bargaining rights

The union for Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) employees is suing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem after she said she was ending a collective bargaining agreement signed last year. ...
The Hill - 5d
Biological mother of Connecticut man allegedly held captive by stepmom for decades speaks out

The biological mother of the Connecticut man who was allegedly held captive and starved by his stepmother for more than two decades says she is "proud of him" for escaping — and his captor can "rot ...
NBC News - 1d
‘We are all Natasha’: senator’s sexual harassment claims roil Nigeria

Treatment of Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who has been suspended from senate, shines light on women’s rights . Last July, Nigeria’s third-most powerful man gave a rare apology on the floor of the ...
The Guardian - 3d
Man accused of killing Hadiya Pendleton to stay in jail as he awaits new trial

Micheail Ward's conviction was thrown out, after an appeals court ruled detectives violated his constitutional rights during his interrogation.
CBS News - Mar. 11
MVP's Reagan Rus honored as Class A girls Spirit of Su winner

Mar. 16—SPEARFISH, S.D. — Mount Vernon/Plankinton senior basketball standout Reagan Rus was awarded the Class A girls Spirit of Su award on Saturday at the state tournament at the Young Center. The ...
Yahoo Sports - 2d
Palworld Dev Says It Was "A Depressing Day" When Nintendo Sued

In 2024, Nintendo and The Pokemon Company sued Palworld developer Pocketpair on patent infringement claims, and now Palworld's community manager has revealed more details on how it all went down.. ...
GameSpot - 1d