An unnamed teen boy has a defamation lawsuit against the notorious mom who allegedly threw boozy teenage parties, for spreading the rumors that the teen was a “rapist” and a “predator.”
The curious sex-and-booze-party scandal of formerly Los Gatos-based “Cool Mom” Shannon O’Connor, who also goes by the name Shannon Bruga, kept the 47-year-old woman behind bars over the holidays thanks to 39 charges of crimes involving minors. But, apparently she already faces another charge in a civil lawsuit, which was quietly filed two weeks after this odd story broke. According to the local Los Gatos newspaper The Los Gatan, Bruga faces a defamation lawsuit from an attorney representing an unnamed teenage boy, seeking more than $100,000 in damages because she allegedly spread rumors that the boy was a “predator” and a “rapist.”
“Minor learned that Defendants made statements to other individuals accusing Minor, by words and effect, of being a ‘rapist’ and a ‘sexual predator’ and committing acts of sexual assault against minor aged women,” the lawsuit says, per The Los Gatan. “Bruga further sought to cause harm to Minor by spreading her false, fabricated, and fictional defamatory statements to others including teenagers, upon information and belief, that Bruga was hosting parties for.”
The suit also names other defendants named Sherri Hammond, aka Sherri Mullin, and Jennifer and Daniella Blomquist, who are presumably adults, since their names are in the lawsuit. The suit alleges they conspired with Bruga.
It says Hammond “wanted Bruga to make a false report about Minor with the intent of having the police make an arrest of Minor on the basis of the false report,” and that “The conduct of Defendant Sherri Hammond was outrageous.”
This is literally high school drama, but if it’s true that more adults are being named in other suits, the strange scandal might go in a whole other direction.
Shannon O'Connor-slash-Bruga’s next bail hearing is set for January 18, and her plea hearing is scheduled for March 4.
Image: Santa Clara County District Attorney
