James O’Keefe, whose group, Project Veritas, has come under fire for undercover sting operations against media organizations and liberal groups, has sued Twitter Inc. for defamation for banning him from the internet platform.
O’Keefe sued Twitter Monday in state court in Westchester County, New York, where his group does business, claiming the social media company falsely banned him for operating fake accounts.
“After suspending Mr. O’Keefe’s personal Twitter account on April 15, Twitter, through an unnamed spokesperson, disseminated to media outlets the provably false statement that Mr. O’Keefe was ‘operating fake [Twitter] accounts,’” he said in a complaint, calling the statement “false and defamatory.”
O’Keefe claimed Twitter subjected him to “hatred, contempt, and ridicule“ and claimed the allegedly false statements “tend to diminish the esteem, respect, goodwill, or confidence in which Mr. O’Keefe is held.”
O’Keefe is seeking unspecified damages and a court order barring Twitter from making false statements about him.
Twitter declined to comment Tuesday.
The case is O’Keefe v. Twitter Inc., New York State Supreme Court, Westchester County.
© Copyright 2025 Bloomberg News. All rights reserved.