(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Controversial podcast host Candace Owens was hit with another defamation lawsuit, this time by the man who once led security for late conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Former police officer Brian Harpole filed suit Thursday in federal court in Tennessee against Owens, her LLC, the company behind her podcast, and Mitch Snow, a figure who has fueled conspiracy theories surrounding Kirk’s death.
The lawsuit was filed by attorney Matt Sarelson of Dhillon Law Group, the firm founded by Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon.
At the center of the lawsuit are allegations that Owens falsely accused Harpole of involvement in a plot to assassinate Kirk. Harpole, for his part, has previously blamed local police for failing to protect campus rooftops, allowing a gunman to fatally shoot his client.
The complaint cites multiple instances in which Owens directly and indirectly linked Harpole to what it describes as baseless conspiracy theories about the killing.
Kirk was shot while addressing a crowd at the University of Utah on Sept. 10, 2025. The suspect, Tyler Robinson, has been charged in connection with the killing.
Despite this, Owens has repeatedly released long-form videos suggesting there is more to Kirk’s death.
Snow and Owens have also claimed that Harpole met with Army intelligence officers and Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, at Fort Huachuca to plot Kirk’s murder, the lawsuit alleges.
Owens has further suggested there may have been another shooter, that Kirk was killed by an explosive device rather than a bullet and that the rapid cleanup of the scene points to foul play.
“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,” Harpole’s attorneys wrote.
No evidence has linked anyone other than Robinson to Kirk’s murder.
The lawsuit says Harpole has suffered financial and emotional damages due to Owens’ accusations.
“All of Owens’s statements are either false on their face or create a false meaning reasonably conveyed by the published words,” the attorneys added. “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.”
Owens appeared to welcome the lawsuit, writing on X: “BREAKING NEWS! Brian Harpole drops a surprise lawsuit on me granting me the power of subpoena LET’S GO.”
