Women Outed By Heitkamp Campaign As Domestic Violence Victims Are Looking To Sue Campaign

After North Dakota Democratic Sen. Heidi Heitkamp’s campaign publicly named some women as victims of domestic violence without the women’s consent or knowledge, some of the women have announced they are getting ready to sue the campaign.

CNN reported, “The misstep has led some women misidentified in the ad to decry the Democratic candidate and question how their names landed on the list, with one group of women saying they are seeking ‘a lawyer who will take our case’ because the ad has ‘interfered with, or downright ruined, our lives.’”

Three of the women, Shylah Forde, Megan Stoltz and Alexandria Delzer, gave a statement to CNN from a group of over one dozen women who were named by the campaign. The statement read:

Heidi Heitkamp’s political agenda has interfered with, or downright ruined, our lives. Survivors of assault who had taken care to avoid the subject were suddenly bombarded by questions asking them to explain to their loved ones why their name appeared on this list. Women who have never been assaulted spent the day reassuring loved ones of their safety.

The women added that their “privacy was violated on this day” so they have started a “search for a lawyer who will take our case.”

Ed Morrissey of HotAir noted some possible grounds for the lawsuit:

Invasion of privacy for anyone who didn’t consent to be publicly named, and perhaps libel in cases where the women weren’t victims of domestic violence at all. Invasion of privacy does cover the public disclosure of “embarrassing private information” for those who are not “public persons,” which certainly seems applicable in this case. Libel might be a tough haul under these circumstances, as it usually applies to falsehoods that damage one’s reputation; being called a victim of domestic violence isn’t exactly an insult. However, the domestic partners of those women, past and present, might have a case for it.”