A Jewish Online Harassment Victim Sued a White Nationalist Publisher for Trolling Her

A Jewish woman from Montana is suing a white nationalist blogger for harassing her and her family, including threats directed at her 12-year-old son.

Andrew Anglin, publisher of the white supremacist website the Daily Stormer, is accused of organizing a “troll storm” against Tanya Gersh, a Jewish woman who lives in Montana. Anglin set off of a horde of threats against Gersh, attorneys for Gersh said, starting with a series of articles he published on his website in December 2016. According to the complaint, Anglin’s articles prompted his followers to “overwhelm” Gersh with threatening anti-Semitic phone calls, voicemails, text messages, emails, letters, social media comments and false online business reviews. The lawsuit claims that Anglin targeted Gersh, a real estate agent, after she became involved in a real estate deal with Sherry Spencer, the mother of the white nationalist Richard Spencer.

Gersh said during a news conference on Tuesday that the volume of harassment has caused her to lose hair, often cry herself to sleep and seek out trauma therapy. Gersh said she has stopped working so as not to expose her clients to potential harassment.

“I have never been so scared in my entire life,” Gersh said.

Anglin did not immediately respond to request for comment.

Gersh, who is being represented by the Southern Poverty Law Center, accuses Anglin of invasion of privacy, intentional infliction of emotional distress and violations of Montana’s anti-intimidation act. She is seeking monetary damages, although attorneys did not provide an exact number.

Write to Mahita Gajanan at mahita.gajanan@time.com.