A former attorney for @properties, Chicago’s largest residential brokerage, is at an impasse in court after suing the firm for firing her after she shared a photo of herself at a Jan. attack.
Former @properties agent Libby Andrews has filed a defamation lawsuit against the agency after she posted a photo of herself at Capitol in January 2021, claiming it ruined her reputation. But an Illinois appeals court ruled that Andrews’ own social media posts were the cause of her reputational damage, Crain’s Report.
The ruling upheld a Cook County Circuit Court decision to dismiss Andrews’ defamation lawsuit against the company. Her social media post included a photo of her smiling and wearing a hat in support of Donald Trump’s presidency, and a caption that read, “Storm the capital.”
Shortly after the photos surfaced, @properties issued a statement saying it “unequivocally condemns these actions and the company has immediately severed ties with the agency.”
Andrews then sued the agency for defamation and willful interference with commercial expectations, arguing that her dismissal falsely implied that she “engaged in violence, property destruction and criminal activity and that she lacked the integrity to perform her professional duties.”
Andrews claimed she did not take part in any form of violence and did not witness any destructive behavior while attending the rally. Andrews’ lawyers argued that her participation in the rally was exercising her rights to freedom of speech and assembly, and that @properties made her a “lawless thug engaging in violent, illegal and criminal activities,” according to the outlet.
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The agency faced a backlash after some announced they would boycott the company after people became aware of Andrews’ involvement in the unrest. The court ultimately ruled that Andrews’ actions had caused the damage she claimed and @properties was merely defending its reputation by firing her.
— Quinn Donoghue
