Make New York Post a Preferred Source Former Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes is suing the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel for defamation, alleging that a political reporter who helped investigate his relationships with women had herself been sexually involved with him for years — and that the newspaper published its explosive allegations despite learning of the conflict.
Barnes denies the newspaper’s accusations that he exploited his political standing to pursue women.
“Barnes has never used public office, employment authority, party authority, political influence, promised access, or threatened consequences to pressure or induce anyone into a sexual or romantic relationship,” the lawsuit states.
The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in Milwaukee County Circuit Court, alleges that Barnes and the unidentified journalist were involved on and off starting around 2018.
Editors removed her from the assignment after his campaign disclosed their history on July 30, but the newspaper published the disputed articles later that day, according to the complaint.
The stories, which appeared the same day Barnes abandoned his campaign for Wisconsin governor, alleged that he repeatedly used his political standing to pursue sexual encounters with young women — claims Barnes disputes.
The lawsuit does not identify the reporter, referring to her only as the “Conflicted Reporter,” but makes clear she was neither Mary Spicuzza nor Molly Beck, the two Journal Sentinel journalists whose bylines appeared on the articles.
The unidentified woman allegedly helped build the investigation and communicated directly with Barnes’ campaign before her removal from the story, according to the suit.
The newspaper allegedly assured the campaign that other reporters would re-report portions of her work.
Before publication, another attorney representing Barnes sent the Journal Sentinel a cease-and-desist letter warning that the reporting was tainted by a conflict of interest, the lawsuit states.
Barnes argues that the compressed timeline left little opportunity for editors to independently reconstruct the reporter’s work, including her sourcing, interviews and development of leads.
The newspaper also failed to inform readers about the journalist’s previous relationship with Barnes or her last-minute removal from the investigation, according to the complaint.
Journal Sentinel editor Greg Borowski referred The Post to parent company USA Today Co. for comment, which did not immediately respond to a query on Wednesday.
Of the three anonymous sources cited by the Journal Sentinel in support of its allegations that Barnes exploited his political standing to seek sexual encounters, one had a sexual relationship with him, while two others claimed firsthand knowledge of the alleged behavior.
The newspaper acknowledged that no one alleged being abused by Barnes.
The relationship described by one of the newspaper’s anonymous sources began during a 2018 Democratic Party convention, according to the lawsuit.
Barnes maintains that the relationship was consensual, that neither person was married and that the woman neither worked for him nor was subject to his governmental or employment authority.
His campaign provided the newspaper with contemporaneous text messages that it claimed showed continued contact between the two and undermined suggestions of coercion or exploitation, according to the complaint.
Barnes also challenges the Journal Sentinel’s reporting that the Democratic Party of Wisconsin hired outside lawyers in 2025 to investigate allegations that he used his political influence to pursue women.
The allegations stemmed in part from an anonymous letter sent to then-party chairman Ben Wikler in 2024, accusing Barnes of using his office and power to gain access to women.
The Associated Press also reported in July, citing a person with direct knowledge, that the party had hired a law firm to examine the claims but found nothing actionable because the accusations were anonymous and lacked specifics.
Barnes disputes that account, maintaining that the party’s existing lawyers may have reviewed the letter but that no formal investigation was conducted, witnesses interviewed or findings produced.
“We recognize our burden to prove the allegations in the complaint and will present evidence through the litigation process,” Barnes’s attorney, Michael Cerjak, told The Post.
“We are not identifying the reporter, providing witness contacts, or releasing private supporting materials for media coverage at this stage.”
Cerjak added that the Journal Sentinel’s statement “that it followed its editorial procedures doesn’t resolve the specific claims in the complaint.”
The Post also has sought comment from Brian Spahn, a media-law attorney at Godfrey & Kahn who was among the recipients of Barnes’ Oct. 28 retraction demand.
The lawsuit also states that counsel for the Journal Sentinel responded on Nov. 4, rejecting the demand, but does not identify that attorney.
The Post has also sought comment from Spicuzza and Beck, the Wisconsin Democratic Party, former party chairman Ben Wikler, attorney Brent Nistler and former Barnes campaign representatives.
