Former Republican congressional candidate Kimberly Klacik has filed a $20 million defamation lawsuit against conservative commentator Candace Owens. This comes after Owens posted a lengthy video to her Instagram account alleging Klacik had, among other claims, worked as a dancer and “madame” at a strip club owned by her husband, and that she’d committed campaign and tax fraud. Owens, who says in the video that she’s no “investigative journalist,” has refused to take down the post despite multiple requests from Klacik, culminating in the lawsuit.
Kimberly Klacik Taking Candace Owens To Court Over Criminal Allegations
Following an argument on Twitter about President Joe Biden declaring Juneteenth a national holiday, Candance Owens took to her Instagram page with a nearly 45-minute long video attributing a laundry list of alleged crimes to Kimberly Klacik. Klacik gained notoriety after running a failed campaign to unseat Baltimore Democratic Rep. Kweisi Mfume. Former President Donald J. Trump posted a video of then-candidate Klacik walking the streets of Baltimore speaking with constituents about what the Republican party could do for them.
After their Twitter argument, Owens posted a self-filmed video to Instagram which has been viewed over 1.6 million times in the month since it was first shared. Though she insisted she was “not an investigative journalist,” adding that she “could not confirm” the criminal allegations she made against Klacik, Owens still accused Klacik of a long list of crimes, including “money laundering, tax fraud, and campaign fraud.”
Many Of Owens’ Claims Focus On Klacik’s Husband’s Strip Club
Owens also claimed Klacik worked as a “madame” and dancer at her husband’s strip club, where she was also accused of paying vendors to “move money off the books,” and recruit strippers for the club.
Klacik has publicly refuted Owens’ claims, including a statement she posted to Twitter on June 24, where she wrote that Owens “has falsely accused me, private citizens & businesses of federal crimes so I would like this to play out in court rather [than] social media.” That’s exactly what Klacik has done.
In the suit, Klacik has requested $20 million in damages from Owens, alleging she lost a book deal as a result of Owens’ claims. The suit also alleges that politicians canceled fundraising appearances with Klacik and she’d lost a “nationally recognized vendor” after Owens’ video spread online.
In a statement, Klacik’s attorney, Jacob Frenkel, said, “Baseless character assassination has no place in political dialogue. The defendant chose to use her huge social media platform to attack a respected Baltimore political figure; we are using the proper forum — the power of the courts — to respond. The detail in Ms. Klacik’s lawsuit speaks for itself.” Both Owens and Klacik will have their day in court to argue their various sides. Gossip Cop will provide updates on this ongoing story as they become available.