Reporter Andy Ngo filed a lawsuit against Rose City Antifa back in 2020. The civil lawsuit seeks $900,000 in damages from several individuals. Rose City Antifa was also named in the original lawsuit but they were later dropped by a judge. Three other individuals have also been found “in default.” The judge will decide their liability sometime after the conclusion of the trial. In addition, Ngo reached a settlement with one individual named Patrick Bolen:

Benjamin Patrick Bolen and I have reached a settlement. The court granted an order of default against Madison Lee Allen, Joseph Christian Evans and Corbyn/Katherine Belyea. Rose City Antifa was dismissed by the court on July 14, 2023 on the grounds that an unassociated entity… pic.twitter.com/3fVHi6gHST

— Andy Ngô 🏳️‍🌈 (@MrAndyNgo) July 16, 2023

So with those four out of the way, that leaves just two defendants who were subjects of the lawsuit which began yesterday. They are John Colin Hacker and Elizabeth Renee Richter.

ALLEGATIONS: John Colin Hacker, according to @MrAndyNgo’s complaint.

On May 7, 2019, Hacker allegedly threw an unknown liquid onto Ngo at a local gym, then forcibly robbed Ngo, taking his phone.

When Hacker refused to return the phone to Ngo, gym staff allegedly intervened and… pic.twitter.com/NvaqpclWP1

— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) July 31, 2023

ALLEGATIONS: Elizabeth Renee Richter, according to Ngo’s complaint.

On May 28, 2021, Richter allegedly followed Ngo into The Nines Hotel before she was kicked out by hotel staff.

While outside the hotel, Richter is allegedly heard screaming on video, “I can’t wait for you to… pic.twitter.com/GVuu1rtYNv

— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) July 31, 2023

The trial began yesterday with instructions from the judge that no videos (only photos) could be taken in the courtroom.

Opening Statements: Plaintiff

Dorothy Yamamoto, Andy Ngo's attorney, argued to the jury that the alleged physical assaults, unprecedented threats of violence, and severe intimidation that Ngo has had to endure by alleged members of Antifa, including Hacker and Richter, resulted… pic.twitter.com/99uZf5dvw6

— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) August 2, 2023

The rest of that tweet reads “resulted in the journalist being forced to leave Portland and relocate to another country to rebuild a new life abroad in order to feel a sense of safety.” Here’s a bit of the text from the subsequent tweets written by Katie Daviscourt who is covering the trial for the Post Millennial:

Yamamoto explained that while this trial involves violent attacks against Ngo, in which Hacker and Richter were allegedly involved in, that occurred on May 7, 2019 and May 28, 2021, further acts of violence on different dates that have been carried out by affiliated members of Rose City Antifa contribute to the trial in the sense that Hacker and Richter have referenced the brutal physical assaults, either online or to Ngo directly.

On May 7, 2019, defendant John Colin Hacker allegedly assaulted and robbed Ngo at a 24 Hour Fitness gym during a hostile and threatening confrontation.

Yamamoto told the jury that during this time, Ngo was “not popular” and was merely a “ground investigative journalist” that found a niche in covering political protests due to the lack of reporting by mainstream media during times of hyper-political polarization in the US. The attorney explained that the altercation with Hacker at the gym was the first time Ngo had been confronted for his journalism in a personal setting.

She said that this was the moment Ngo “realized he was going to be recognized in public.”

Before the confrontation at the gym, Hacker had allegedly helped organize an event on May 1, 2019, outside of Cider Riot in Portland, in which Ngo was assaulted multiple times by alleged members of Antifa. Ngo had reported on that event, and Hacker allegedly brought up Ngo’s reporting to him during the gym altercation, expressing severe criticism of Ngo’s reporting on that day.

“Nevertheless,” Yamamoto said, “Andy perservered.”

She told the jury that following the May 1, 2019 attacks and May 7, 2019 altercation with Hacker, Ngo was forced to adopt new reporting tactics, which included concealing his identity while reporting in the field, and live streaming events instead of filming and then uploading clips to social media.

All of that led up to the 2019 attack on Ngo that became national news. He had to be hospitalized after that incident and stopped doing reporting like this for many months. In May 2021 he tried reporting from the street again and had to flee into a hotel to protect himself when he was recognized (2nd tweet below):

However, after months of avoiding ground reporting, Ngo decided to cover a direct action in Portland on May 28, 2021, an event that Yamamoto argued, "broke my client," which involved both Hacker and Richter.

On May 28, 2021, Hacker and Richter allegedly participated in events… pic.twitter.com/76d756v5f3

— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) August 2, 2023

The rest of that tweet reads:

On May 28, 2021, Hacker and Richter allegedly participated in events that resulted in Ngo being beaten by a mob of Antifa. On that day, Ngo was observing Antifa attacks on the Portland Justice Center and the central precinct of Portland police when Hacker reportedly approached Ngo and questioned him about his attire. Ngo was reporting undercover in attire that concealed his identity. After Hacker identified Ngo, a mob of Antifa chased him down the street and brutally beat him.

The first person to identify Ngo that night was Hacker, according to Yamamoto.

Yamamoto argued that "Andy did everything he could do and had to flee Portland" due to his safety being in jeopardy.

"After The Nines, my client decided to relocate. It was too much after the May 28, 2021 attack. Andy made up his mind to leave his parents behind and had to… pic.twitter.com/lXz22v3cbD

— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) August 2, 2023

Next up was Richter’s defense attorney, Brinson Cooper:

Brinson made it clear to the jury that "Richter does not like Ngo" and admitted that she had made violent threats towards Andy, which the jury will see on video when evidence is presented.

After referring to Ngo as a "provocateur," the attorney argued that the only crime Richter… pic.twitter.com/PJsCIm9rig

— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) August 2, 2023

Another defense attorney who claims the defendants are just good progressives trying to make the world a better place:

The attorney described both Hacker and Richter as two "progressive activists that are trying to make the world a better place." 

While explaining to the jury about why Hacker was at the May 28, 2021 event, she said that Hacker "likes to record cops to keep the accountable for…

— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) August 2, 2023

Then Andy Ngo took the stand:

Ngo testified that between 2019 and 2021, "I have been the victim of several attacks, and between that time and after, I have been the victim of ongoing campaigns of hate and death threats because of my reporting on violent extremists in the United States."

Yamamoto asked Ngo…

— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) August 2, 2023

Some testimony about Ngo’s history:

Ngo said that he liked to write about things that "went against the grain" because "those are the stories worth sharing and most interesting to read." He explained that he found his work "fulfilling" and that it had also given him "confidence."

An example of his work as an…

— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) August 2, 2023

Ngo testified that he started covering protests in 2017 after the US presidential election, the first being a riot in Portland.

Ngo explained that he started on-the-ground reporting because the reporting is "much stronger when people see photos and videos."

Ngo said that…

— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) August 2, 2023

Ngo testified that his reporting tactics began to shift after the May 1, 2019 incident in which he was attacked by alleged members of Antifa while reporting on the Cider Riot event.

During this event, Ngo testified that he was doused with bear mace, and was punched in the head…

— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) August 2, 2023

The rest of that tweet reads: “During this event, Ngo testified that he was doused with bear mace, and was punched in the head by Benjamin Bolen, a defendant in the complaint. Ngo changed his reporting tactics after this incident, telling the jury, ‘I was scared to be Andy covering this stuff.'” Bolen is the person, mentioned above, with whom Ngo has already reached a settlement. Daviscourt mentioned in a later tweet that Ngo was punched in the stomach, not the head, by Bolen.

Ngo confirmed the accusations against Hacker and explained that during the altercation Hacker, who he thought was another independent journalist at the time, was "very angry" about his reporting and had repeatedly called him a "fascist." This was when Ngo realized Hacker has a…

— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) August 2, 2023

The final tweet from yesterday’s coverage reads in part:

In regards to the brutal attack on June 29, 2019, Ngo testified that there was hatred of him online by far-left extremist accounts. He said that he had contemplated wearing a helmet that day but refrained because he didn’t want people to think he was heading into a battle.

On not covering his face that day, Andy testified that “it’s a professional ethical value I have and it is important for people to know who is out there recording them.” Adding, “It’s important that people see the press in a transparent way.”

Ngo confirmed the attacks made in the complaint which included a series of brutal beatings carried out by multiple members of Antifa that consisted of punches and kicks to the head, “concrete-infused” milkshakes thrown in his face, placards thrown at his head, his equipment being stolen, etc.

This incident was captured on video but the defense team objected to it being shown to the jury, arguing that it did not involve the defendants on trial. The judge ruled that the objection could be sustained, and the footage was not shown to the jury.

It’s unfortunately that our justice system is so bad at dealing with mobs. Hacker and Richter were not personally involved in the violence on June 29, 2019 but they probably know some of the people who were. And they almost certainly know that the purpose of wearing similar dark clothing and masks is to avoid individual consequences for collective actions. Hacker and Richter support the violence of the mob which is why they haven’t volunteered to ID any of the people in it. They are proclaiming their own innocence but are also (probably) protecting the guilty. There’s a reason Antifa acts in this way, because it often works.

Update: Antifa are acting up in the courtroom which doesn’t seem smart.

There is a ban on recording video, so we will provide more context when allowed.

— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) August 2, 2023

The judge has ordered a brief recess after the defense team raised questions about photographs being taken in the courtroom by press—they don’t want photos.

This came after a member of Antifa started to harass a @TPostMillennial freelance photographer while in the courtroom.

— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) August 2, 2023