Brandon Ortiz-Vite Sues Trump for $75 Million and Citizenship Over 2024 Campaign Use of Murder Case
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Jul 20
Brandon Ortiz-Vite Sues Trump for $75 Million and Citizenship Over 2024 Campaign Use of Murder Case
2 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jul 20
Summary
$75 million, a public apology and U.S. citizenship are being sought by Brandon Ortiz-Vite, a 27-year-old convicted murderer who filed a handwritten federal complaint against Donald Trump and aide Steven Cheung.
Ortiz-Vite says Trump turned his case into a campaign prop in 2024 by calling him "America's problem" at a Grand Rapids rally and using his mugshot in ads about undocumented criminals.
The prisoner claims that publicity led to humiliation, mockery by jail staff and inmates, and lasting damage to his dignity and family name, though his complaint does not identify a specific legal violation.
Matthew Borgula, a former federal prosecutor, said the suit will likely fail at initial screening because public embarrassment is not a constitutional claim and Trump's statements were substantially true.
Ortiz-Vite is serving 39 to 102 years for the 2024 killing of Ruby Garcia after previously being deported in 2020 following a drunken-driving arrest and later re-entering the U.S. illegally.