The two Arkansas teachers are Nancy Best and Cindi Talbot. They received $120,000 in damages after a jury found they were defamed.
The man who was found to have defamed the pair is defendant Sean Allen. The College Fix reports Allen accused the two of criminal conduct at the Capitol.
Matt Lamb is the editor of Campus Reform.
"The teachers were falsely accused of committing crimes on January 6, 2021, at the U.S. Capitol, but by all accounts, they were there peacefully. They were peacefully expressing their views about the 2020 election and were unfairly maligned by people in the community for exercising their First Amendment rights."
An article from NEA Report explains Allen set up a "sustained campaign" online and started "formal complaints" against the two women, labeling them as "criminals and extremists" for going to the rally that day.
Allen also reportedly accused them of participating in an "insurrection," demanding they be fired and demanding their licenses be revoked.
Best and Talbot testified at the week-long trial that they did not enter the U.S. Capitol and were never charged with any crime. Court testimony indicated that the FBI reviewed their conduct and brought no charges, according to NEA Report.
“It’s been a five-year nightmare,” Talbot told NEA Report. “It was such a relief to finally share OUR story after being silenced for so long. Nancy and I can finally enjoy our retirement. We both retired in 2023.”
They said the accusations led to harassment, strained personal relationships, and damage to their professional reputations.
"As I understand, the lawsuit is over. These teachers will get damages, and they've already -- they've both already decided to retire. So, it's unfortunate they have to spend the last five years, the end of their teaching career fighting these unfair and untrue accusations that they somehow were part of the group of people that did commit violence at the Capitol five years ago,” Lamb said.
