The owners of a Florida coffee shop are suing an out-of-town customer over a viral Facebook post they say falsely accused employees of celebrating the murder of MAGA podcaster Charlie Kirk – leaving staff exposed to threats and damaging the business.
According to a federal defamation lawsuit, the proprietors of Amelia Island Coffee in the tourist spot of Fernandina Beach allege Atlanta resident Blake Buchanan made a “widely disseminated” post claiming workers were “openly celebrating Charlie Kirk’s murder,” The Independent reported Friday. The coffee shop flatly denies the allegations.
“In fact, no statement was made by any employee of Amelia Island Coffee about Charlie Kirk at all,” the complaint reviewed by The Independent states. “All that happened was an employee told a customer she liked the customer’s t-shirt, which also said nothing about Charlie Kirk.”
The lawsuit argues Buchanan’s post exposed the owners and employees to “threats of violence or actual violence committed against them because of the false Facebook post."
“Amelia Island Coffee’s complaint says that in addition to introducing the spectre of violence, Buchanan’s post also caused ‘irreparable harm to its… reputation,’ as well as ‘significant… monetary damages to its business’ due to lost customers," according to The Independent. They say the business has also incurred “significant monetary damages” due to lost customers.
“The employees of Amelia Island coffee are openly celebrating Charlie Kirk’s murder today,” read Buchanan’s post in a local Facebook group that has 11,700 members and ignited the lawsuit, according to the publication. He later doubled down on his claim in comments.
A wave of backlash followed, with users calling the allegation “disgusting” and threatening to boycott the business. Buchanan has refused to delete the post, claiming First Amendment protections in court documents.
