Brandon Ortiz-Vite, who pleaded guilty to the murder of his girlfriend Ruby Garcia in Michigan, has filed a lawsuit against former President Donald Trump and White House communications director Steven Cheung. Ortiz-Vite is seeking $75.5 million, a public apology, and U.S. citizenship, alleging that Trump's public statements about his case caused severe emotional distress and influenced his decision to accept a plea deal.
Ortiz-Vite, a 27-year-old Mexican national, shot Garcia, 25, multiple times in the head in March 2024 before pushing her body out of a car on a Grand Rapids highway. He is currently serving a sentence of 39 to 100 years for the crime.
Days after Garcia's murder, Trump held a rally in Grand Rapids and referred to Ortiz-Vite as "America's problem." The former president also reportedly used Ortiz-Vite's mugshot in campaign advertisements. Ortiz-Vite, who entered the U.S. illegally as a child and was previously under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, had been deported in 2020 following a drunk driving arrest. It is unclear when he re-entered the country.
In his court filing, Ortiz-Vite stated that the attention surrounding his case transformed it into a high-profile event, causing him significant distress. He claims that Trump's focus on his immigration status led him to feel categorized by his race and immigration status rather than as an individual. "Who I was as a person no longer mattered! What only mattered was my race,' Ortiz-Vite wrote in the filing. 'My case and immigration status! Once again, it belittled me, shattered my dignity and what I was as a person.'
He further alleged that the publicity made him a target for other inmates while incarcerated and brought shame to his family. Ortiz-Vite contends that while he accepted responsibility for his actions, the use of his case for political gain was unjust and humiliating.
Ortiz-Vite is representing himself in the lawsuit, which he filed from the Chippewa Correctional Facility. However, according to former federal prosecutor Matthew Borgula, the lawsuit is unlikely to succeed. Borgula explained that federal law requires prisoner lawsuits to be screened before being served, and this complaint may not pass that initial review. Additionally, he noted that while presidential immunity can cover official acts, campaign statements may fall outside this protection, and that public embarrassment by a politician is not typically considered a constitutional violation.