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https://www.newsweek.com/conservative-journalist-gets-300000-after-antifa-assault-protest-1821760

Conservative Journalist Gets $300,000 After 'Antifa' Assault at Protest
BY THOMAS KIKA ON 8/22/23 AT 7:08 PM EDT

POLITICS
ALT-RIGHT
CONSERVATIVES
ANTIFA
PORTLAND

Right-wing writer Andy Ngo was awarded $300,000 in a lawsuit ruling
Tuesday after three individuals accused of assaulting him ignored the
hearing, resulting in a default ruling.

Ngo, editor-at-large of the conservative Canadian outlet The
Post-Millenial, alleged in the civil suit that he had been assaulted by
three people he claimed were members of "Antifa," a catch-all term for a
variety of mostly separate and autonomous anti-fascist left-wing
political groups. The incident took place at a protest in downtown
Portland, Oregon, in late May 2019, purportedly organized by a group
called "Rose City Antifa," which Ngo had gone to cover.

The writer alleged that three individuals—Katherine Belyea, Madison
Allen, and Joseph Evans—attacked him at the event. Evans, who now goes
by the legal name Sammich Overkill Schott-Deputy, was accused of
striking Ngo and initiating the confrontation. Allen was accused of
hitting him with a sign, while Belyea was accused of throwing a
milkshake at him.

andy ngo lawsuit default ruling
Above, a photo of conservative writer Andy Ngo after having a milkshake
thrown at him by alleged "Antifa" members. Ngo was rewarded $300,000 in
a default ruling Tuesday, after individuals accused of attacking him at
a protest failed to appear in court.
MORIAH RATNER/GETTY IMAGES
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By failing to appear for a virtual hearing at the Multnomah County
Courthouse Tuesday, Circuit Judge Chanpone Sinlapasai found the three
civilly liable for assault, battery, and intentional infliction of
emotional distress, ordering them to pay Ngo a total of $300,000, split
evenly between them. A lawyer representing Schott-Deputy attempted to
argue, according to Media Entertainment Arts WorldWide, that his client
could not appear due to being homeless, and due to the fact that they
were serving out other prison sentences when the lawsuit was served, but
the judge dismissed the attempt, citing the length of the trial, with
the suit being filed initially in 2020.

In a post to X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, Ngo thanked his
legal team and further accused the defendants of "trying to violently
silence my First Amendment rights." He also expressed worry that the
collection of the $300,000 will be a challenge.

"While it will continue to be a steep uphill battle to collect today's
awarded damages given the default defendants' history of evasion, I
remain determined to hold Antifa and its members accountable for their
violent attacks," he wrote.

Earlier in August, a jury ruled against Ngo in a different civil
lawsuit, finding that two left-wing activists were not liable for an
attack he sustained at a Portland protest in 2021, Oregon Live reported.

Newsweek reached out to the Multnomah County Court via email for further
information.

Critics have contested Ngo and other conservatives' characterization of
"Antifa" as a "terrorist organization," noting that it is not a
centralized organization, but a loosely affiliated left-wing political
movement. Nevertheless, conservatives have continued to allege that the
movement and its adherents as major threats to their political
interests. Ngo has also been accused in the past of sharing selectively
edited videos to inaccurately paint Antifa demonstrators as violent.