Brian Harpole, who served as Charlie Kirk’s security chief, sued conservative activist Candace Owens for defamation, according to a new complaint filed on Thursday.
Kirk was assassinated during an appearance at Utah Valley University in September 2025, a major escalation of political violence at a time of growing polarization. Owens, who was friends with Kirk, has been accused of spreading conspiracy theories about his death in the months that followed as she has feuded with others close to the late activist, including his wife, Erika Kirk. The lawsuit is the latest legal challenge faced by Owens, who has faced other litigation in connection with remarks about French first lady Brigitte Macron.
Newsweek reached out to Owens for comment via her media contact form.
Candace Owens Defamation Lawsuit: What to Know
The lawsuit was filed by attorney Matt Sarelson of Dhillon Law Group on behalf of Harpole, who served as Kirk’s security detail the day of the assassination. A complaint filed against Owens accuses her of “falsely accus[ing] Brian Harpole of conspiring to assassinate Charlie Kirk.”
The complaint listed several conspiracy theories spread after the shooting, including that Harpole was allegedly involved in a scheme with the U.S. government to assassinate Kirk.
“Owens is the most high profile spreader of baseless Charlie Kirk conspiracy theories, but she is not the only one. Her actions have encouraged and emboldened and otherwise given cover to other people to jump on the Charlie Kirk conspiracy bandwagon,” the complaint reads.
The complaint pointed to numerous comments made by Owens, highlighting comments describing Kirk’s security team as “shady” and saying she received a “credible” tip from a member of the military that Harpole was in attendance with a classified meeting with senior government officials at a U.S. Army base that seemed to be the type to be held “ahead of an operation.”
“The claim that Harpole was present at Fort Huachuca on September 9, 2025, for an alleged meeting is verifiably false—as Harpole’s travel records plainly place him in Dallas, Texas. There would also be records showing Harpole’s access to the base,” the complaint reads.
It also pointed to a December 12 post to X in which Owens wrote, “Brian Harpole has already been caught lying about what transpired on that day. Did he also lie about having placed a 911 call? Did no one from their team call 911 after Charlie was shot?”
She reached out to Harpole on December 17, asking to have an “off the record discussion,” to which he did respond, according to the complaint. She later questioned why he did not respond.
She continued discussing Harpole during her podcast for weeks, according to the complaint.
The lawsuit alleged that his personal and professional reputations have been damaged, he has lost out on business opportunities and suffered “a great deal of emotional distress” due to the allegedly defamatory statements.
“All of Owens’s statements are either false on their face or create a false meaning reasonably conveyed by the published words. They are not protected opinions, rhetorical hyperbole, or questions without defamatory implication. It is simply false that Harpole knew Charlie Kirk was going to die or was involved in the planning, commission, or alleged cover-up of the assassination,” the complaint reads.
Harple addressed conspiracy theories spread about the assassination in a November interview on the Shawn Ryan Show.
Candace Owens Responds to Lawsuit
Owens addressed during a Thursday podcast episode, saying the lawsuit will give her the “the power of subpoena.”
She said she and her lawyers received notice of the lawsuit last weekend.
“How curious,” she said. “What do you mean? You never communicated with me. You never spoke. You never issued any sort of retraction demand. You never answered me when I reached out. This is not at all how it normally goes. I’m pretty accustomed to how lawsuits work.”
She said competence “is a matter of opinion.”
Charlie Kirk Assassination Investigation: The Latest
Days after the shooting of Kirk, authorities arrested 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, whom officials said had confessed to the crime to his father. He is in custody on charges of aggravated murder, obstruction of justice and felony discharge of a firearm. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for Robinson.
Robinson’s legal team has asked to delay a preliminary hearing scheduled in May, so they have more time to review an enormous amount of material, including a recent ballistics report described as “inconclusive.”
An analysis conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) could not definitively determine whether a bullet fragment recovered from the victim was fired from a rifle authorities allege Robinson used in the attack.
Robinson’s defense team cited the ATF report and said the FBI was running new tests. The team has also said the DNA of multiple people was found on some of the items at the scene, necessitating more analysis.
Christopher D. Ballard, a spokesperson for the Utah County Attorney’s Office, told USA Today of the report, “When the results of a bullet fragment analysis come back as inconclusive, that means only that the fragment did not contain enough detail for the examiner to determine whether the characteristics on the fragment were consistent with having been fired by a particular firearm.”
What Happens Next
Harpole is seeking punitive damages against Owens.
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