Benny Johnson sued for defamation by ICE protesters

Two protesters, Kyle Frankovich and Maureen Foody, have filed a defamation lawsuit against right-wing media personality Benny Johnson in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. The plaintiffs allege that Johnson falsely characterized them as “left-wing terrorists” who assaulted federal officers during a protest outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Broadview, Illinois, in October 2025.

According to the complaint, Johnson was embedded with Department of Homeland Security and ICE officials during the incident. The lawsuit claims Johnson knowingly disseminated false information to his millions of followers, portraying the peaceful demonstrators as violent criminals. Frankovich, a data scientist at Harvard University, and Foody, a court reporter, state they have suffered professional consequences and fears of violent attacks due to the labels applied to them in Johnson’s videos.

This legal action is noted as a potential first defamation suit targeting a member of the administration’s unofficial team of influencers who amplify government narratives regarding immigration enforcement and protests.