Jury found Nebraska's Republican Party defamed one of its own candidates in 2020

A jury has found that the Nebraska Republican Party defamed one of its own candidates during an ugly legislative race five years ago and ordered it to pay her $500,000

MARGERY A. BECK Associated Press Apr 22, 2025 Updated 8 hrs ago

A jury has found that the Nebraska Republican Party defamed one of its own candidates during an ugly legislative race five years ago and ordered it to pay her $500,000.

The Lancaster County jury sided with Janet Palmtag on Friday in her defamation lawsuit against the party. Palmtag sued after the Nebraska GOP sent out campaign mailers in October 2020 falsely claiming she had been charged with mishandling business trust accounts and had lost her Iowa real estate license.

At the time, Palmtag had been a lifelong Republican who was challenging fellow Republican and then-State Sen. Julie Slama of Peru, who had been appointed by and was backed by former Republican Gov. Pete Ricketts.

The race highlighted a growing schism within the state GOP, particularly between supporters of Ricketts and those of his predecessor, Republican Gov. Dave Heineman, who backed Palmtag in the legislative race


Palmtag Handout

FULL story: http://archive.today/LqSD5

ORIGINAL pay link: https://omaha.com/news/state-regional/crime-courts/article_6f40e4ee-9902-560b-afe3-cb1e1eb2e1c3.html