MSC News

MSC News National Headlines Sports Top Headlines CBS US News CBS Technology

Printer Friendly

Email to a Friend

Former 1st District Legislative candidate wins defamation case

By John Nixon

04/23/2025

Janet Palmtag

(KLZA)-- A Lancaster County jury ruled last week that the Nebraska Republican Party defamed Janet Palmtag of Nebraska City during her run for the Nebraska 1st District Legislative seat on the Republican ticket in 2020.

The jury ordered the Republican party to pay Palmtag $500,000 for damages caused by mailers sent out in October, 2020 falsely claiming she had been charged with mishandling business trust accounts and had lost her Iowa real estate license.

What actually had occurred was Palmtag, who owned a real estate firm that operated in Iowa, agreed to pay a $500 fine on behalf of her firm to resolve a mistake made by one of its agents.

The mailers went to approximately 3,200 homes of registered voters. Palmtag demanded corrections to the mailers but the Nebraska Republican Party refused. After losing her bid for the First District legislative seat to Julie Slama, Palmtag sued the party seeking $4 million.

The case was initially dismissed, but Palmtag appealed to the Nebraska Supreme Court which ruled last year that a jury should decide whether Palmtag was defamed.

The Republican Party now has a 30 day window to decide if it will appeal the jury's ruling, and another 10 days to file for a new trial.

You will need to be logged in to leave a comment.

Please Login

The posting of advertisements, profanity, or personal attacks is prohibited.

Click here to review our Terms of Use.