A jury in Nebraska has determined that the Nebraska Republican Party defamed one of its candidates during a contentious legislative race five years ago, mandating a compensation of $500,000. The Lancaster County jury ruled in favor of Janet Palmtag, who filed a defamation lawsuit against the party after it distributed campaign mailers in October 2020. These mailers falsely accused her of mishandling business trust accounts and falsely claimed she had lost her Iowa real estate license.
At the time of the accusations, Palmtag was a lifelong Republican challenging fellow Republican, then-state Sen. Julie Slama of Peru. Slama had been appointed and supported by former Republican Governor Pete Ricketts. This incident underscored a growing divide within the state GOP between Ricketts supporters and those aligned with his predecessor, Republican Governor Dave Heineman, who backed Palmtag’s candidacy.
The Nebraska GOP’s mailers, which reached approximately 3,200 households of registered voters, inaccurately stated that Palmtag “broke the law and lost her real estate license,” claiming her license was “revoked.” These accusations misrepresented a 2018 disciplinary case from Iowa, where it was actually a real estate agent under Palmtag’s brokerage that improperly transferred funds from an Iowa account to a Nebraska one. The company was fined $500 for the oversight, and two years later, Palmtag voluntarily canceled her Iowa license due to insufficient business, unrelated to any disciplinary action.
Despite Palmtag’s demands for corrections, the state party refused, leading her to sue after losing the race to Slama. She initially sought over $4 million in damages. Although a judge initially dismissed the case, Palmtag’s appeal succeeded when the Nebraska Supreme Court ruled that a jury should determine if she was defamed.
Palmtag, who eventually left the Republican Party following the dispute, maintained that the defamatory mailers not only cost her the election but also adversely affected her business and personal life. The jury’s decision to award $500,000 is considered a rare outcome in defamation cases involving politicians, who are often regarded as public figures and thus susceptible to political attacks.
David Domina, Palmtag’s attorney with 50 years of experience in Nebraska trial law, noted the rarity of such substantial awards in defamation cases. The Nebraska GOP now has 30 days to decide whether to appeal the jury’s decision and an additional 10 days to request a new trial. If they choose not to appeal, Palmtag could begin collection procedures.
The newly elected Nebraska GOP Chair, Mary Jane Truemper, stated that the party is currently in the process of investigating its options regarding an appeal.
