Jefferson Davis is one of three conservatives endorsed by WisRed in the increasingly contentious Menomonee Falls School Board race. The others are Nicole Barker and Dr. Joel Woppert, an incumbent; they are not involved in the lawsuit.
Jefferson Davis, a conservative running for the Menomonee Falls School Board, has filed a defamation lawsuit against three community members, accusing them of writing false statements on Facebook about him as the School Board race heated up.
“The conduct alleged here goes beyond mere incivility,” the lawsuit alleges. “It represents the weaponization of false accusations—of racism and misconduct involving children—for political purposes. Left unchecked, such conduct creates a chilling effect on civic participation, deterring qualified and community-minded individuals from seeking public office out of fear that they, too, will be subjected to baseless and vicious attacks.”
“This action arises from a coordinated and deliberate campaign of false accusations launched against Plaintiff during a contested election for the Menomonee Falls School Board,” the lawsuit continues. “In the midst of that campaign, Defendants took to Facebook and other public online forums and began publicly accusing Plaintiff Jefferson Davis of deeply damaging misconduct, including racist behavior toward children, sexual misconduct involving minors, dishonesty toward local businesses, and other serious wrongdoing.”
The lawsuit was filed in Waukesha County courts and is pending. Attorney Kevin Scott filed it on behalf of Davis. Davis notes in the lawsuit that he has lived and worked in Menomonee Falls for years and has served as an official at youth sporting events. In 2026, Davis announced his candidacy for the Menomonee Falls school board. Shortly thereafter, his suit alleges that the “defendants began publishing statements falsely accusing plaintiff of serious misconduct.”
Read Davis’s lawsuit in full here:
DAVIS – Summons and Complaint (Filed)
Davis is suing Sheila Witt and Nathan Greenleaf of Menomonee Falls and “John/Jane Doe 1,” a person he believes is using the alleged pseudonym of “Danielle Walsh” on Facebook. Wisconsin Right Now reached out to Witt, Greenleaf, and the Grassroots Menomonee Falls Area Facebook group seeking comment, but received no response.
“Witt and Greenleaf are active members of the community group Grassroots Menomonee Falls Area,” the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.
The Grassroots Menomonee Falls Area group posted a response on Facebook:
The accusations stem, in part, from an alleged incident at Templeton Middle School’s boys basketball game on December 9, 2025.” In a previous press release, the Grassroots group accused Davis of saying to a coach, referring to a player, “Yeah, he is your color.” Davis denies making any racist remarks at the game. The two coaches cited in the press release are not named in it.
Davis obtained a letter from the WIAA’s executive director, who wrote Davis that the “alleged incident occurred during a middle school contest of schools that are not WIAA members; therefore, our office has no role in this.”
David Munoz, superintendent of the Menomonee Falls School District, wrote Davis on March 23, “The School District of Menomonee Falls has no investigation, past or present, related to Jefferson Davis, including but not limited to, the WIAA or any other person or organization. The Superintendent of the School District of Menomonee Falls is aware of allegations stemming from an event at another school district and of the transmittal of some documents by SDMF staff members.”
Davis is a well-known figure in Menomonee Falls. “Professionally, I have worked as an Independent Registered Representative in insurance, investments, and retirement planning since 1990, helping families and individuals plan responsibly for their futures,” his website explains. “Earlier in my career, I served as Recreation and Community Education Director for the Menomonee Falls School District and later as Parks and Recreation Director for the City of Portage.” In addition to WisRed, he has been endorsed by prominent conservative groups and elected officials, including state Rep. Dan Knodl and Moms for Liberty.
“Defendant Witt’s statements were false, defamatory…Defendant Witt’s statements were motivated by her hostility toward Plaintiff’s openly conservative political views and were made with actual malice, in that she either knew her accusations were false or acted with reckless disregard for their truth,” the lawsuit says.
The lawsuit includes several screenshots of Facebook posts allegedly written by Sheila Witt.
“These statements falsely accused Plaintiff of racist misconduct, sexual misconduct involving children, and dishonest behavior,” the lawsuit says.
Added Davis: “These were not offhand remarks or expressions of political disagreement. They were not hyperbole. Defendants presented their accusations as statements of fact. In doing so, they repeatedly asserted that Plaintiff had engaged in specific acts of misconduct, at times claiming personal knowledge of events that never occurred and at other times repeating unverified allegations as though they were established truths. The accusations were false.”
Davis’s lawsuit says that he “did not make racist remarks toward students, coaches, parents, or spectators. Plaintiff did not engage in sexual harassment or any form of misconduct involving minors. Plaintiff was never banned from officiating athletic contests because of sexist remarks. Plaintiff did not lie to local businesses in connection with his campaign. Yet Defendants published these accusations anyway—publicly, repeatedly, and without any legitimate basis. They did so either knowing their statements were false or with a reckless disregard for the truth.”
Continued the lawsuit: “In a small community, accusations of racism toward children and sexual misconduct involving minors are among the most serious that can be made. Defendants chose to make them anyway. This case reflects a growing and troubling reality. Social media has made it easier than ever to level devastating accusations against another person with the click of a button. It has also fostered a culture in which some individuals—shielded by distance, anonymity, or the perceived informality of online discourse—behave as ‘keyboard warriors,” launching attacks they would never make face-to-face and without regard for the consequences. But there are consequences.”
The lawsuit alleges that Greenleaf’s posts were “referring to a report made to the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association” by another man who accused Davis “of making a racist statement.” Davis denies the accusation.
“Upon information and belief, this concerted conduct manifested in part through coordinated posting and amplification of accusations on the Grassroots Menomonee Falls Area Facebook page, where Defendants and others repeatedly echoed and reinforced the same allegations,” added Davis.
