Former Eugene pot lab owner files defamation lawsuit

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) – The owner of a former marijuana testing lab in Eugene has filed a defamation lawsuit against anonymous activists after an anti-fascist website exposed her ties to local white nationalists.

The Oregonian/OregonLive reports court documents filed in San Francisco Superior Court show Bethany Sherman claims her business, OG Analytics, was ruined and she was forced to leave Oregon after Eugene Antifa publicized her writings in an online message board and social media posts “out of context.”

Neither Sherman nor her attorney, William Johnson, a self-described white nationalist who chairs the far-right American Freedom Party, responded to a request for comment.

Records show Sherman also has subpoenaed the company, Weebly, that hosted the Eugene Antifa website, a move lawyers for the unnamed defendants say is an attempt to identify their clients.

The suit doesn’t seek a specified sum in damages.