CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) – The former fiancé of U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, whom she called a sexual predator in a speech, filed a lawsuit claiming she fabricated allegations about a 2018 sexual assault.
Patrick Bryant filed the lawsuit on Thursday, claiming in court records that allegations made in a May lawsuit by a “Jane Doe” were fabricated. The original lawsuit claimed that Doe was assaulted at the home of Eric Bowman by another man and that Bowman and Bryant filmed it. Mace referenced this incident in her House speech back in February.
In the new suit, Bryant claims he is the only victim and alleges Mace conspired with Bowman’s estranged wife to fabricate the assault involving Doe, who had worked for Bryant years earlier.
Bryant claims Doe filed the May lawsuit based on Mace’s false allegations and that Mace made up the assault to blackmail him. The suit alleges Mace thought Bryant was cheating during their relationship and tried to hack his phone.
The suit claims Mace told a political consultant she would use images from his phone to get ownership of their joint properties, but never mentioned sex trafficking or gang rape.
Bryant claims he and other men never did anything to Doe in October 2018 after she fell into a pool at a party. Though Bowman’s estranged wife later claimed she witnessed the alleged assault on a home security system, she did not say anything to Doe that night, according to the suit.
Bryant alleges that Mace and Bowman’s wife met and conspired to frame and defraud him and two others, then set out to find a victim.
Mace responded to the lawsuit in a statement saying, “It’s almost as if Patrick Bryant is asking to write me another check. I just got him sanctioned in court. And rape victim Jane Doe and I are still waiting on him to pay our legal fees after he weaponized the court against us.”
Mace is referencing a court order from six days ago involving Bryant’s lawyer. The order found that Bryant’s company and his lawyer violated state law by issuing subpoenas and deposing people without court approval in the Jane Doe case.
Bryant is suing for defamation, invasion of privacy, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
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