Brockton Bishop Suing Me For Libel Over 2016 Blog Lost License Due To Nonpayment Of Child Support, Lost Multiple Judgments To Banks, Sued Alleged Pedophile Who Had Sex With His Wife

 

This is Anthony “Tony” Branch from Brockton.

He is the Brockton NAACP’s first vice president, the chair of the Southeastern Regional School Committee, an alleged business owner, chair of the Brockton Commission on Diversity, and a radio host. A blog about him was published on Turtleboy on August 23, 2016 after he participated in protests to change the name of Brockton High School’s vice principals from “housemaster,” because it’s racist, or something. It was so long ago that I don’t even remember who wrote the blog, nor do I remember it even being published. I had a bunch of people blogging for me back then, but apparently they made jokes calling him a “fake bishop,” which was problematic because Tony Branch is a very serious man of the cloth.

On August 23, 2019 Tony Branch sued me and my former LLC in Brockton Superior Court for libel, and claimed he had $25,000 in damages and lost wages.

The “fake pastors” thing was obviously a joke, but I took the blog down regardless. I didn’t write the tweets because our Twitter accounts have been run by fans since I was banned on that platform for years. I also have no idea if this guy has a theology degree, but most Bishops I know don’t get involved in some of the things Tony Branch has. Thus the joke.

 

 

I used get sued by people like this all the time, and I’ve never lost a case or even had one go to trial. Luckily the bar for defamation is high in this country, and it’s almost impossible to get a judgment against someone. If it wasn’t, then it would have a chilling effect on free speech and discourse.

Most of the people who sue me are pro se plaintiffs, meaning they don’t have an attorney (often because they can’t afford one). When they sue me and lose it costs them nothing. I would happily defend myself pro se since most of these lawsuits are ridiculous and easy to defend, but in Massachusetts you are required by law to obtain counsel if your LLC is sued. I’ve had some lawsuits run up legal bills of close to $30,000 before being dismissed. Unlike in states like California, when you win you don’t get that money back. That’s why I dissolved my company in April of 2020 and haven’t been sued since.

In order to win a defamation lawsuit you have to prove that the defendant lied, that they knew it was a lie, that they did so maliciously, and that the plaintiff suffered documented financial harm as a result. Brother Branch would have to show that he lost business as a direct result of me writing the blog about him. According to his complaint he lost three wedding cancellations a month after the blog was published.

He hasn’t shown in discovery requested any of these alleged cancellations, nor has he shown that they cancelled because they read the blog and determined that he was a fake pastor.

He also claims he keeps getting denied jobs at churches in Brockton that pay $400 and $300 a service because these churches read Turtleboy before making personnel decisions.

He has yet to provide any evidence in discovery that these churches (which he has not named) chose not to hire him because they read Turtleboy during background searches.

He also claims that as a result of the blog he did not do any weddings in 2020, which somehow is my fault, and not the fault of a virus that shut the world down and cancelled all weddings.

Under Massachusetts law you have 3 years to file a defamation lawsuit. Tony Branch filed his lawsuit against me on August 23, 2019 – exactly 3 years to the date the blog was published. He was so damaged by the blog he waited three years to file a lawsuit.

It just so happens that Brother Branch has some issues with money though. He has a bunch of lawsuits filed against him in Brockton Superior Court, most of which did not end well for him. Discover Bank won a $2,856 judgement against him.

American Express won a judgment for $3,404.

Equatable Ascent Financial LLC won a judgement for $6,249 after he failed to show up to court, and a capias was issued to track him down.

Capital One won a judgment of $1,343.

Barclays Bank won a judgement of $1,669 in 2015 and a capias was issued when he didn’t pay the judgement.

Notice at the end it says “suggestion of bankruptcy” in June of 2016, which was 2 months before the blog about him was published. He claims that the blog damaged him badly, but if that was the case then why did he owe so much in credit card debt and face the prospect of bankruptcy prior to the blog’s publication?

He still has open cases with LVNV Funding, and Midland Credit Management.

Brother Branch is very familiar with the courts, and has previously attempted to sue two Brockton Police Chiefs.

He knows his way around a courthouse.

Credit cards aren’t the only thing Brother Branch hasn’t paid off though. He also sued the Massachusetts Department of Revenue Child Support Enforcement Division because he failed to pay $2,030 in child support and had his license suspended by the RMV.

In his complaint he alleged that his ex-wife was getting preferential treatment from their case manager.

 

He admitted that he had not been employed since October of 2015, and suggested that this was why he couldn’t pay the child support he owed.

The guy with no job, no license, and a bunch of credit card judgments against him, believes that Turtleboy is the reason for his financial problems.

He claimed the loss of his license deprived him of his “constitutionally protected” visitation rights with his kids, and admitted to being on unemployment.

However, Brother Branch has the ability to get a bus pass, ride his bike, or walk to see his kids.

According to his own filings he lost his job at Mass General in September of 2015, and he also had a second baby momma named Alicia Kennedy who he had to pay child support to for another kid. In 2016 he declared bankruptcy.

This is why “fake bishop” was an obvious joke. Because it’s not every day you see a bishop not paying his child support or credit card bills, suing the DOR, or declaring bankruptcy.

In March of 2019 he lost his lawsuit, but then appealed it and asked for a waiver of the $350 court filing fees when he tried to appeal the decision.

He also got his fees waived by the court on August 26, 2019 when he sued me, because Tony Branch should never have to pay for anything. He’s a bishop.

In 2021 his appeal also was denied.

However, the most entertaining lawsuit Tony Branch has been involved in was when he sued a man from East Bridgewater named Antonio Harris shortly after he sued me in 2019. Harris’ crime was obtaining an order against Brother Branch and having sex with Brother Branch’s wife. It began in 2013 when Harris applied for an order against Branch in Brockton District Court.

In order to obtain an order you have to have 3 or more examples of harassment with the intent to cause fear. They’re not easy for men to get in this state, but Harris managed to get one on Brother Branch by alleging that Branch forced/threatened Harris to “involuntarily engage in sexual relations,” which Brother Branch denied. It’s not clear what that meant, but the court granted the order against Branch, which placed him in a statewide domestic violence database. A month later Harris alleged that Brother Branch violated the order, and Brother Branch claimed that this damaged his reputation after the allegation was dismissed.

It’s not every day you see a real bishop getting an order placed on them for involuntary sexual relations with a man.

During this same time Antonio Harris was taking Mrs. Brother Branch to pound town at the Holiday Inn Express in Braintree. Brother Branch claimed that the only reason Harris sought (and was granted) an order was because Harris was giving it to his wife.

I would like to point out that according to Brother Branch it was the court that granted the order, not Antonio Harris. If his reputation was damaged by that then it’s on the judge. Just sayin.

In April of 2020 the lawsuit against Harris was dismissed.

However, Branch filed a motion for reconsideration because he said the mailman never brought him the summons because his stairs were broken.

Courts are ridiculously flexible with pro se plaintiffs like Branch, so the normal rules of court often don’t apply to them.

Two weeks ago the presumably well endowed Antonio Harris had his motion to dismiss denied, and the matter is ongoing.

It should be noted that Brother Branch offered my former attorney to drop the case for $600, which is weird because he’s claiming to have lost a job that paid $42,000 a year, along with $6,700 worth of wedding gigs.

Almost like this is some sort of shakedown.

It’s also interesting that an East Bridgewater man by the name of Antonio Harris was arrested while trying to flee the country at Logan Airport in April of 2019 after being charged with raping a child.

Police say an East Bridgewater man, accused of raping a child, attempted to fly to out of the country the night before his arraignment on the charges. Antonio Harris, 48, was arrested at Boston Logan Airport on Tuesday night, and arraigned Wednesday morning in Brockton District Court. He pleaded not guilty to the charge of raping a child. Assistant District Attorney Courtney Fogarty said that on April 19, a woman walked into the East Bridgewater Police Department to file a report. She told police that her daughter told her that she had been raped repeatedly by Harris, beginning around the time she was 9 or 10 years old. The victim is now 16 years old. Based on the woman’s statements, East Bridgewater police sought a criminal complaint, which issued on Tuesday. Fogarty said that when Harris was under the age of 18, he was twice convicted of sexual assault, including a 1988 conviction for rape of a child with force.

If this is in fact the same Antonio Harris it would mean that Brother Branch’s wife chose an alleged child rapist over him. Ouch.

Brother Branch also received $2,500 in taxpayer money in May of 2020 thanks to the PPP loan giveaway. According to his application he runs a transportation business called Anthony Michael Branch Transport, which is great considering he once lost his license due to non-payment of child support.

To review:

  • Tony Branch is suing me because a blog published on TBS in 2016 hurt his reputation and cost him several job opportunities, but he has yet to provide evidence of any damages
  • Prior to the blog being published he lost judgments with several financial institutions for unpaid bills, and also lost his license because he failed to pay child support to the wife who he divorced after finding out that Antonio Harris was giving her the pipe
  • He declared bankruptcy just a few months before the blog on him was written, which was public record and could easily damage his reputation without a blog being written about him
  • He had an order placed on him by Antonio Harris for involuntary sex long before any blogs were written about him, which damaged his reputation
  • His reputation was so tarnished that he still is treated as some sort of respected civil rights leader in Brockton, and he was appointed chair of Southeastern

In my opinion Brother Branch’s financial problems and damaged reputation existed long before I came along, and if could prove damages in excess of almost $50K then he probably wouldn’t settle for $600. Unfortunately this means I have to pay my lawyer to fight this, and when I win I won’t get that money back. I’m happy to do it though, because defending free speech is invaluable. However, if you’d like to donate to the cause you’re more than welcome to do so by clicking here.

 

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