South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace on Thursday responded to damning reports about her ex-fiance, Patrick Bryant, filing a lawsuit accusing her of orchestrating a false sexual assault narrative. The complaint, lodged Thursday in Charleston County, claims the congresswoman conspired with a friend’s estranged wife to damage Bryant’s reputation and that of another acquaintance, Eric Bowman.
Bryant, a Charleston businessman, alleges Mace fabricated an assault story she later aired in an explosive speech on the House floor in February, where she named four men, including Bryant, whom she accused of drugging, molesting, and filming women without consent.
In his lawsuit, Bryant claims those accusations were entirely false and part of a 'blackmail scheme' to gain leverage after their breakup in November 2023.
Nancy Mace responds
Mace responded to these claims. “This is false. And you may want to take it down before you also get sued. This is your warning. First and last,” she wrote on X, platform formerly known as Twitter. Her tweet was in response to a commentator, Collin Rugg's post about the lawsuit.
According to the complaint, Mace allegedly hacked Bryant’s phone, installed tracking devices on his car, and accessed private data. During that period, she and Bowman’s estranged wife allegedly contacted a former employee, identified in court documents as Jane Doe, and told her they had uncovered a video showing her being 'gang raped' by Bryant, Bowman, and another man, John Osborne.
{{/usCountry}}According to the complaint, Mace allegedly hacked Bryant’s phone, installed tracking devices on his car, and accessed private data. During that period, she and Bowman’s estranged wife allegedly contacted a former employee, identified in court documents as Jane Doe, and told her they had uncovered a video showing her being 'gang raped' by Bryant, Bowman, and another man, John Osborne.
{{/usCountry}}The woman, however, reportedly denied any memory of such an incident and said she had never seen the video in question.
Bryant insists that Mace ‘concocted an entire false narrative’ to destroy him professionally and personally. He is suing her for defamation, invasion of privacy, and intentional infliction of emotional distress, maintaining that he is 'the only victim' in the ordeal.
Mace, who is also preparing to launch a 2026 gubernatorial bid in South Carolina, has brushed off Bryant’s lawsuit as baseless retaliation. In a statement, she noted that Bryant was recently sanctioned in court for improper legal conduct, saying, “It’s almost as if Patrick Bryant is asking to write me another check.”
She added that she plans to file a motion to dismiss and pursue counterclaims for abuse of process and conspiracy.