(CN) — Comedian Kathy Griffin is facing a doxing lawsuit from Kentucky high school students who appeared in a viral video confrontation with a Native American activist.
Six families and four individuals sued Griffin in Covington, Kentucky Federal Court on Monday, seeking punitive damages for privacy invasion, menacing, threatening and civil harassment.
The Covington Catholic High School students appeared at the Jan. 18 March for Life near the Lincoln Memorial in a têtê-à-têtê with Native American elder Nathan Phillips.
They claims that Griffin mobilized her 2.2 million Twitter followers after the video made worldwide news.
“Name these kids. I want NAMES. Shame them. If you think these fuckers wouldn’t dox you in a heartbeat, think again,” Griffin tweeted, according to the complaint.
The 10-page lawsuit defines doxing as “using the internet to source out and collect an individual’s personal and private information for the purpose of publicly releasing that information online in order to harass, humiliate or retaliate against the individual.”
The plaintiffs say that Griffin followed up with these tweets:
“Names please. And stories from people who can identify them and vouch for their identity. Thank you.”
And: “Should let this fine Catholic School [CCH] know how you feel about their students behavior toward the Vietnam veteran, Native American #NathanPhillips.” (Brackets as in complaint.)
Griffin also allegedly followed by stating that her tweets had “triggered lots of verrrry threatened bros. Yummy. It’s delicious.”
Lead plaintiff John Doe, et al. say Griffin’s campaign served as a “call to action” to encourage “harmful criminal and civil behavior” toward them.
This behavior allegedly included “being subject to death threats in the sanctity of their homes and school,” as well as “injury to them in their future academic, business, career and employment opportunities.”
Earlier this year, CCH student Nicholas Sandmann and his parents sued the Washington Post for $250 million for defamation, claiming that the paper assassinated his character in its coverage of the incident. That complaint was dismissed in July. Sandmann is not a named plaintiff in the new lawsuit.
Griffin is no stranger to controversy. In 2017, she appeared in a photo holding a bloody, effigy of a severed head of President Donald Trump.
The plaintiffs in the new case are represented by Kent Seifried of Ft. Mitchell, Kentucky.
Griffin has not responded to a Twitter request for comment.
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