Richard Louis Brown has filed a defamation complaint against Richard Rees Wake in the Superior Court of California, Sacramento County, on May 29, 2024. The plaintiff alleges that the defendant published a defamatory statement on his Facebook page, which he claims has caused significant damage to his reputation and emotional well-being.
According to the court documents, Richard Louis Brown, who has served as the Local 1000 President for three years and resided in Sacramento for twelve years, is suing Richard Rees Wake for publishing a defamatory statement on his Facebook page "Richard the Real 7437" on May 21, 2024. The statement read: "You're mentally ill. Get some help." Brown asserts that this statement is entirely false and was made with malicious intent to harm his reputation.
The complaint details that Brown has never been medically diagnosed with any mental illness and that the defamatory post exposed him to "hatred, contempt, ridicule and obloquy." Brown further alleges that the post was seen by all readers of his Facebook page and caused him to suffer loss of reputation, shame, mortification, and injury to his feelings. He is seeking compensatory damages amounting to $21 million after establishing proof at trial.
Brown's complaint emphasizes that the publication was not privileged as it was made with intentional malice. He accuses Wake of expressing a desire to "get" him through this harmful post. Consequently, Brown is also seeking punitive damages totaling $21 million due to what he describes as Wake's malicious intent.
In addition to monetary compensation for damages suffered, Brown demands judgment against Wake for compensatory damages according to proof presented at trial. He also seeks punitive damages, interest as allowed by law, costs of suit, and any other relief deemed just and proper by the court.
The case is being handled in the Superior Court of California in Sacramento County under Case No: 2407010542. Richard Louis Brown is representing himself in this matter.