Brazilian Court Orders PL Leader Valdemar Costa Neto to Pay PT R$20,000 for Defamation

A judge of the 5th Civil Court in Brasília sentenced Valdemar Costa Neto, president of the Liberal Party (PL), to pay R$20,000 in moral damages to the Workers' Party (PT). The ruling, issued on 11 May, found his statements—made at a horse‑riding event in Itu, São Paulo, in September 2025—unlawful. Costa Neto had claimed that PT members organized and initiated the vandalism at the Three Powers' buildings during the Jan 8, 2023 attacks on Brazil’s democratic institutions.

The court concluded that his comments went beyond political criticism and amounted to a criminal accusation, harming the PT’s reputation. The decision is subject to appeal. PT had originally sought R$30,000 in compensation, citing the public reach of the statements and the need for a pedagogical sanction.