Bridget Mahoney: SLAPPed for sharing her story of abuse.

Bridget Mahoney was SLAPPed by her ex-husband Sam Boak and his company, Boak and Sons Inc. for sharing her story of abuse as part of her advocacy against domestic violence. Her answers have been edited for clarity and length. She spoke with Caitlin Howard and Meg Ward from Breach Collective.

Please introduce yourself with your name, location, and anything else you’d like us to know about you. 

My name is Bridget Mahoney. I’m an activist and advocate dedicated to preventing domestic violence and child abuse. I’m a graduate of The Ohio State University School of Journalism, and currently reside in Cincinnati. I’m a former Board Chair of the Ohio Domestic Violence Network (ODVN), the statewide coalition of 76 domestic violence shelters and programs, and currently chair the ODVN Public Policy Committee. I also belong to the statewide coalition to pass an anti-SLAPP law here in Ohio. The bill has been introduced twice with bipartisan support but hasn’t made it out of committee. We’re hopeful it will be reintroduced in the next general assembly. 

Can you summarize for us what you were SLAPPed for?

After college, I  followed my dreams; I became the first female television news anchor at Youngstown, Ohio’s number one 6 and 11 o’clock news station; I married a successful local businessman and together we had two daughters. It may have looked like a picture perfect life, but I was hiding a painful and shameful secret. I was a victim of domestic violence, and my children were victims of child abuse. 

Although I filed for divorce when my daughters were one and four years old (they are now in their 30s), it did not end the abuse by my ex-husband. Years of court proceedings ensued. The legal system was weaponized against my daughters and me. 

After what we went through, I was compelled to help make a difference. A pathway to the advocacy work I have been doing for the past 18 years presented itself when my youngest daughter, Julie Boak, won a college scholarship from a local organization in the Cincinnati area- Citizens Against Domestic Violence. CADV was founded by education pioneers, Jim and Elsa Croucher, after their 18-year-old daughter, Tina, was murdered by an ex-boyfriend. I joined forces with them and helped present “Dating Violence:101” to thousands of high school students and spearheaded the successful passage of the “Tina Croucher Act,” which mandates dating violence/healthy relationship education in all Ohio schools from grades 7-12.

I eventually began sharing our family’s story in public speeches. In 2015, my ex-husband along with his multimillion-dollar company filed a defamation lawsuit against me, CADV, 14 CADV Board Members, and his own daughter, Julie. The suit also claimed interference with his business, and intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress. I was sued for my public speech. Julie was sued for testimony she gave before the Ohio Senate in support of the “Tina Croucher Act.” CADV and the board members were sued for having Julie's testimony on their website.

Why did you decide or feel like you had to speak out about this? 

I want to help others and create social and policy changes.

It’s a difficult story to share, but it’s an important story to share. My family’s experience spotlights the many issues surrounding domestic violence and child abuse, and now the devastating consequences of not having an anti-SLAPP law to protect freedom of speech.

It’s in me naturally to speak up, especially about injustices. It’s what led me to a career in journalism. Because it happened to my family, the motivation was even stronger. But it took me a long time before I was ready to talk about it in front of a crowd. Julie was more courageous. She started sharing her story years before I did, and we both spoke publicly long before the #MeToo movement.  This was definitely a category where paving the way to public awareness wasn’t easy, especially when I spoke in my hometown. 

Sadly, cases like ours continue today all across the country. The only way things can change is for people to learn what is happening to our victims, survivors, and their children – the drain emotionally, physically, and financially and the long-term effects of trauma. There needs to be awareness of the powerful part family court plays in either helping or hurting and how we can change our culture with education, prevention, and policy change.

What was it like to be sued by your ex-husband Sam Boak and his company, Boak and Sons Inc.? How did the lawsuit play out?

A nightmare. I faced a gut-wrenching choice: either give up my freedom of speech or endure a brutal lawsuit. I chose the latter, but powering through and coping with yet another court case was very damaging. 

We were demoralized. We were on trial for telling the truth, at the mercy of a court system we had long ago lost faith in. 

Julie was never served but still had to do the agonizing preparation to defend herself and her legislative testimony which is generally considered protected speech. Her father, through the legal system, allowed the threat of court to dangle over her head for nearly two years. She could have been served right up to the day of trial and was constantly on guard for a tap on her shoulder or knock at her door. Utterly cruel

When the day of trial arrived, I was drained physically, emotionally, and financially. I had already spent over $100, 000 dollars, a trial would cost tens of thousands more. Minutes before the jury was to be seated, his lawyers offered a proposal. Though prepared to go the distance, I had run out of funding.

So I made the painful decision to agree to limit where I speak. I can no longer share my story within a 100-mile radius of where he lives-in Youngstown. I’ll leave others to speculate why he made the proposal versus continuing with the trial.

What was your support system like during that time?

I’m blessed.

First off, the courage of both my daughters in their childhood provided a lingering motivation for me. Julie, through all the lawsuits, has been an inspiration. She has extraordinary strength, determination, and an amazing ability to power through.

I have two wonderful sisters who are incredibly supportive, have been with me every step of the way, and sadly experienced vicarious trauma. Elsa, who passed away in 2018 was very understanding. I have an amazing therapist who has been with us since the girls were little, and a close circle of friends. I had excellent attorneys, one who even successfully argued a First Amendment case before the U.S. Supreme Court.

How has this impacted you and your family? 

It was traumatizing to dredge up all the memories. I felt revictimized. The SLAPP suit catapulted us right back into the war zone inflicting so much more harm. Once again, court consumed our lives.

At the time of the suit, Julie had been working hard to forge a normal life for herself. She graduated from The Ohio State University, was establishing her career, and working to heal the wounds of her childhood. The SLAPP suit devastated her. 

Julie’s road to recovery is much longer than mine. There is so much more understanding today of how trauma affects a person mentally, emotionally, and physically. “The Body Keeps the Score'' by Bessel van der Kolk M.D. is groundbreaking in its extensive research on trauma. Van der Kolk details how trauma reshapes the brain and body, that abuse/violence switches on a hyperactive alarm system and causes the body to get stuck in fight/flight, and freeze – a sense of always being on guard. It kicks off anxiety, numbing, affects concentration, memory, wreaks havoc on the immune system, and the ability to form trusting relationships. Julie suffers from all of this. 

No mother should ever have to stand by powerless, witnessing the pain and suffering of their child without being able to protect them. 

How has this impacted your community?

I have to turn down any speaking engagement within a substantial area of Ohio, including Cleveland, north of Columbus, and beyond Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. There's a loss of education and awareness because of that, and because of CADV’s website being taken down. 

After speaking events, women come up to me and say they're afraid to speak publicly for fear of being sued. It sets an example for others experiencing abuse, that they can be attacked via the court system for exercising their free speech if they do speak out.

What would you say to someone facing a similar threat? 

The truth is on your side. Make sure you document as much as you can so you don't end up in a ‘he said, she said’ situation. Speak to a lawyer as soon as possible. The ACLU is a good resource – they can point you in the right direction. Something I wish I had known: make sure you have umbrella insurance which can be included in your home or rental insurance. We did not have that. It would have covered some costs of the lawsuit.

Did the experience change how you think about free speech?

Until I experienced it firsthand, I didn't realize how fragile freedom of speech could be. It's the foundation of our country and protected by the First Amendment. But here I am, an American citizen and I cannot fully exercise mine. 

Where would I be if I hadn’t had the money to go as far as I did in defending my rights? The legal playing field needs to be leveled. Without anti-SLAPP laws to protect against meritless lawsuits, deep pockets and threats of libel and defamation are chilling free speech and silencing truth tellers across our nation.