At the conclusion of journalist Andy Ngo's multi-day civil trial against Rose City Antifa, whose far-left militant members brutally beat the investigative reporter when he went undercover to expose Antifa's extremist activities on the riot-torn streets of Portland, a 12-person jury reached a verdict in the case Tuesday evening, reportedly finding both of the defendants not liable for all claims.
The Post Millennial's senior editor—represented by attorney Harmeet Dhillon's nonprofit Center for American Liberty—sought almost $1 million in damages in a lawsuit accusing the co-defendants of assault, battery, theft, and intentional infliction of emotional distress over a series of violent Antifa attacks beginning in 2019, when Ngo was hospitalized for a brain hemorrhage.
In 2020, Andy Ngo filed a lawsuit in Portland, Oregon claiming assault and other injuries by alleged members of Antifa.
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) July 31, 2023
These violent attacks were caught on camera/video. pic.twitter.com/Pgd8AD9nOB
In closing statements, defense counsel Michelle Burrows told the jurors that not only does she self-identify as an "anti-fascist," she strongly declared, "I am Antifa," and insisted upon making herself an "I am Antifa" t-shirt, which the activist attorney said she would wear after the trial. In spite of Antifa's well-documented history of violence, Burrows told the jury that Antifa's unfavorable reputation is untrue and depicted the organized militants as activists fighting for social justice and civil rights. "Resistance in this country has never been peaceful," Burrows argued in defense of Antifa, admitting that Ngo's tormenters were, in fact, "terrorists."
Rather than taking the time to provide evidence as to why the defendants should be free of liability, Burrow instead defended anti-fascism and attacked Ngo's credibility as a journalist. Burrows also told jurrors that she "will remember each one of their faces."
Before jury deliberation commenced, Judge Chanpone Sinlapasai announced that the jurors have raised safety concerns about being "doxxed" and claimed that people have been trying to identify them, according to a Post Millennial report by Seattle-based correspondent Katie Daviscourt. Prior to the trial's conclusion, Sinlapasai issued court orders banning the public and non-credentialed press from the courtroom for the duration of Ngo's jury trial as it was underway in Multnomah County Circuit Court. The judge's decision was made due to multiple in-court disruptions since the trial began on July 31 as well as security issues.
DAY TWO: Part One - Trial of Andy Ngo vs. Rose City Antifa, et al@MrAndyNgo testifies, Antifa disrupts court proceedings, and Judge threatens to hold individuals in contempt of court 🧵 pic.twitter.com/MW6eVhHzhv
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) August 3, 2023
Antifa is threatening to show up to the courtroom where @MrAndyNgo’s trial against Rose City Antifa and its alleged members is taking place.
— Katie Daviscourt (@KatieDaviscourt) August 2, 2023
The call to action resulted in threats of violence made towards Ngo.
“Anybody who assaults Andy should be given a medal.” pic.twitter.com/CqYyeyDPwO
Two more sheriff’s have just arrived. She is still refusing to leave.
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) August 4, 2023
I am not allowed to identify who this is individual is because of the judge’s media restrictions, but she is a known Antifa disrupter.
On the final day of the trial, both Ngo and his colleague Daviscourt, who has been providing day-by-day coverage, were harassed by Antifa's associates. Ngo was heading into court while Daviscourt was threatened inside the courthouse as the jury sat down to deliberate. "Get in the elevator with us," one of the co-defendants, joined by two others, told Daviscourt in a threatening tone, calling her a multitude of names. "Why won't you get in the elevator with us? We want you in here."
Antifa defendant Elizabeth Renee Richter, also known as the alleged “doxxer,” just confronted me inside the courthouse.
— Katie Daviscourt (@KatieDaviscourt) August 8, 2023
She is roaming around with other members of Antifa— They called me a plethora of names and implied threats. Very unprofessional.
Ngo's legal team had hoped the landmark case would hold lawless Antifa extremists accountable. Dhillon, alongside Ngo's fellow journalists and supporters, took to Twitter to weigh in on the jury's decision, expressing widespread outrage over the outcome:
When we started @Liberty_Ctr to stand up for the first amendment and other civil rights of clients who would otherwise have gone unrepresented, @MrAndyNgo's case was the first one we took. Antifa thugs had repeatedly used violence in Portland to intimidate and silence journalists… https://t.co/mVKxphDsCf
— Harmeet K. Dhillon (@pnjaban) August 9, 2023
The entire country watched these criminals brutally attack Andy.
— Savanah Hernandez (@sav_says_) August 9, 2023
This verdict not only emboldens ANTIFA terrorists, but sets the precedent for future attacks on anyone who dares to report on/defy the domestic terrorists who run blue cities ahead of 2024https://t.co/e0CVkiFXxr
Jury nullification.
— Cernovich (@Cernovich) August 8, 2023
Deep blue areas will convict the innocent and free the guilty.
This ruling is legalized lynching and open season on all conservatives.https://t.co/SYggUTXiLZ
This is going to be the norm for trials in blue cities. If you are a conservative, the jurors will be intimidated into voting against you while letting actual violent criminals out of jail.https://t.co/4Z2nM1dxil
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) August 9, 2023
On the highly anticipated trial's penultimate day, the court had ruled in the defense's favor when it came to witness testimony.
Attempting to undermine Ngo's reputation, the defense called controversial Portland State University professor Alexander Reid Ross, who proudly identifies as Antifa, to the stand Monday as a so-called "expert" on "far-right" media, which he claimed includes Ngo, whom he smeared as a "rage inducer" and "provocateur" without evidence to back his defamatory statements.
Although Ngo's team objected to Ross being a witness on the basis of relevancy, the judge overruled the objection.
A fellow of the Centre for Radical Right Analysis, Ross's work has appeared in left-wing mainstream outlets such as VICE, The Washington Post, and The Daily Beast, where his writings feature favorable coverage of Antifa. Ngo's counsel revealed during cross-examination that Ross's reporting is allegedly too extreme even for the far-left Southern Poverty Law Center, which had retracted an article by Ross after he had falsley identified individuals as white nationalists, white supremacists, and anti-Semites.
Smear artist @AReidRoss is a pathological liar. He lied to my editor and admitted it. He lied about giving @RaniaKhalek right of reply. He lied about where he was writing. And his defamatory article was full of lies. He has no place writing for the SPLC.https://t.co/sDcpAhR8L5
— Ben Norton (@BenjaminNorton) March 10, 2018
Ross opines on the far-left online news site, It's Going Down, defending and praising anti-fascist collectives, including Rose City Antifa. "It is great to see all of the Antifa groups springing up, the first I think was Rose City Antifa..." Ross stated in an article.
Ross, the author of a 400-page book titled "Against the Fascist Creep," has compared conservatives to the Ku Klux Klan (KKK), suggested that leftist activists need to be "militant" to maintain control while discussing his book at the Orange County Anarchist Book Fair in 2017, and urged the audience to "get their hands dirty" when confronted with "fascism," The Post Millennial reports.
On the same day as Ross's "expertise" testimony, one of the alleged Antifa attackers broke down in tears as he testified before the jury and confessed to the crimes he's accused of, according to The Post Millennial's reporting. Weeping on the witness stand Monday, alleged Antifa-affiliated defendant John Colin Hacker told Ngo that watching what happened to him was "heartbreaking."
Hacker apologized to Ngo, mentioning how Ngo was forced to flee the country to start a new life abroad and was left unable to take care of his elderly parents because of the displacement. Hacker said it "hit home" for him, because he was unable to right his wrongs with his own father before he had passed away. Telling a personal story of triumph, in which he has overcome opioid addiction after suffering third-degree burns to 79 percent of his body, Hacker said he became an addiction counselor with a bachelor's in public health and a master's in criminology and criminal justice. Now, Hacker claims he's just a stay-at-home dad.
As for his Antifa activism, allegedly one of Antifa's "doxxers," Hacker said he is a social justice activist and citizen journalist who possesses a special "skillset" at identifying individuals clothed in covert attire such as non-identifying black bloc, which black-clad Antifa activists often don as an evasive tactic to conceal themselves when carrying out political violence. Hacker, during deposition, testified that his primary role on the scene is to "identify right-wingers" who infiltrate Antifa-associated activist events.
When cross-examined about using Twitter to dox political opponents, Hacker testified: "I feel like it's important that people know there is a lot of right-wingers that infiltrate, and so, any time that happens, I note it on Twitter." Though he considers himself "anti-fascist," Hacker said he doesn't embrace the phrase "Antifa," because he claimed it is "used to discredit left-wing protesters." At protests, Hacker stated he is on "cop watch," looking for police officers to alert protesters about law enforcement's whereabouts.
Back in May 2021, when Ngo returned to doing on-the-ground reporting, Ngo wore black clothing to hide his identity while covering a Rose City Antifa-organized direct action, an event that "broke my client," Ngo's lawyer Dorothy Yamamoto argued.
Hacker was the first to approach and identify Ngo that night, leading to Ngo being physically beaten by a pursuing Antifa-led mob until he sought refuge inside The Nines hotel in downtown Portland, Oregon, narrowly escaping, Ngo's civil complaint alleges.
ALLEGATIONS: John Colin Hacker (continued)
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) July 31, 2023
On May 28, 2021, Hacker allegedly participated in events that resulted in Andy Ngo being beaten by a mob of alleged Antifa members.
Ngo was observing Antifa attacks on the Portland Justice Center and the Portland Police Central… pic.twitter.com/ayD4Z1IKnY
In sworn testimony, Hacker recalled that shortly after accosting Ngo, he had spoken to co-defendant Elizabeth Richter, who allegedly broadcasted Ngo's location on a livestream, doxxed the journalist on Twitter, and encouraged others to assault Ngo.
In Ngo v Rose City Antifa, et al., the court learned that co-defendant John Hacker admitted to identifying me to another person verbally shortly before I was accosted & then chased & beaten by black bloc Antifa militants. He claimed to not know the identities of the black bloc… pic.twitter.com/L59lD0ZOyi
— Andy Ngô 🏳️🌈 (@MrAndyNgo) August 9, 2023
Outside the hotel, Richter is heard screaming on video, "I can't wait for you to come out, Andy!" and "You thought the milkshakes were bad last time? We are going to beat the f*ck out of you, b*tch!" On Twitter, Richter then thanked a "bad*ss f*cking comrade" for identifying Ngo following the vicious and seemingly coordinated late-night attack. However, Hacker testified that he was unaware of whom Richter was referring to in her tweet, and Richter insisted that she doesn't remember whom she was thanking.
Opening Statement: Defense Hacker
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) August 2, 2023
Michelle Burrows, attorney for John Colin Hacker, began her opening statement arguing before the jury that while admitting her client had committed a crime at the gym on May 7, 2019, Hacker was not involved in the physical assaults that took… pic.twitter.com/jyQZaJzQeE
Video evidence allegedly shows Hacker visible on surveillance footage roaming with the Antifa mob after Ngo was assaulted. In one clip, an Antifa radical is seen speaking to Hacker and placing a hand on his shoulder in what Ngo's legal team described as a "congratulatory" manner. On the stand, Hacker asserted that he did not witness the assaults and does not know who Ngo's attackers were despite being a self-proclaimed identification specialist. Ngo's team alleged that Hacker and Richter know the identities of Ngo's assailants and are covering for the culprits, thus preventing Ngo from bringing his attackers to justice.
ALLEGATIONS: Elizabeth Renee Richter, according to Ngo’s complaint.
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) July 31, 2023
On May 28, 2021, Richter allegedly followed Ngo into The Nines Hotel before she was kicked out by hotel staff.
While outside the hotel, Richter is allegedly heard screaming on video, “I can’t wait for you to… pic.twitter.com/GVuu1rtYNv
In the aftermath of the attack, Ngo testified that he started publishing less of his own writing, explaining that he was unable to write "because of the triggers" like "flashback moments" of "legs in black surrounding me" and Antifa "screaming my name."
"The physical pain was worse," Ngo said on the stand. "Everyday activities for months was physically painful and the triggers from this attack were way more severe. I kept thinking about that near-death experience, how these people pinned me down, beat me, and nobody helping me, with hotel staff not calling 911, it was isolating and triggered my experiences of depression."
Regarding a prior unprovoked May 2019 altercation at the gym, where Hacker admittedly assaulted Ngo and forcibly took his phone out of his hand, Hacker acknowledged pouring a liquid on Ngo and stealing his cellular device, showing remorse for his "inappropriate" actions and claiming he "acted on impulse." Upon spotting Ngo at the 24-Hour Fitness location, Hacker remembered thinking, "F*ck this guy," before the assault. That was "not an appropriate way to address my irritation," Hacker said.
Yamamoto told the jury that during this time, Ngo was "not popular" and was merely a "ground investigative journalist" that found a niche in covering political protests due to the lack of reporting by mainstream media during times of hyper-political polarization in the US. The…
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) August 2, 2023
Ngo testified that the gym incident with Hacker was when "I started to become scared being in Portland." Ngo added: "This was me just living my private life on a regular day. Someone who recognized me at the gym that I thought was a safe place to be."
"Let's be clear, there aren't sides here. Mr Ngo did not instigate this incident & he was victimized here ... I think he's blameless."
— Andy Ngô 🏳️🌈 (@MrAndyNgo) November 18, 2022
Despite Judge Eric Dahlin finding I was a victim in Oregon v. John Colin Hacker, he would not convict the #Portland #Antifa member of robbery. pic.twitter.com/Kd1VySviaO
In June 2019, Ngo covered another event organized by Rose City Antifa, a viral incident caught on camera that showed Ngo being repeatedly punched, kicked in the head, hit with placards, and doused with "concrete-infused" milkshakes. Ngo required a hospital stay to treat his brain bleed, in addition to months of therapy. Ngo testified that he had to see a cognitive, physical, and occupational therapist following the attack and saw a psychologist for the trauma he was experiencing, which resembled PTSD.
Ngo, the son of Vietnamese refugees, also disclosed in his Day One testimony that Antifa radicals doxxed his phone number and home address, where his parents lived, and that all of his family's private information had been posted online by far-left actors.
In mid-July, the court granted an order of default against co-defendants Jacob Christian Evans, Madison Lee Allen, and Corbyn/Katherine Belyea, who were also named in Ngo's lawsuit. The judge will likely decide liability for damages post-trial.
Evans, whose legal name was changed amid pending litigation to Sammica Overkill Schott-Deputy (an anti-police statement meaning "shot deputy") and whose gender legally became "non-binary," arrived at the courthouse Monday despite being found in default, which excluded the defendant from the jury trial. The repeat arrestee with a violent criminal past across several counties has attested to "undergoing surgical, hormonal, or other appropriate treatment for the purpose of affirming gender identity.”
Earlier last month, Rose City Antifa was dismissed from Ngo's lawsuit on grounds that it's "not a discreet entity under common law" and therefore cannot be sued nor served as an unassociated identity. Though, the individual defendants were still suable.
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