Florida Congressman and Republican gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds is facing a new civil lawsuit stemming from an alleged confrontation that occurred inside a Naples grocery store in August 2022.
Kelly Mason, a Collier County School Board member and founder of Mason Classical Academy, claims Donalds aggressively confronted her while she was with her family. According to the lawsuit, Donalds allegedly cornered her, demanded she drop litigation involving his wife, Erika Donalds, and threatened to “crush” or “finish” her. Mason says she feared imminent physical harm because of his words and behavior.
The dispute reportedly grew out of years of litigation involving Mason Classical Academy and Erika Donalds. Video of part of the confrontation has surfaced publicly, showing an intense verbal exchange. However, the publicly available footage does not appear to capture the alleged threats described in the lawsuit.
Donalds’ campaign has strongly denied the allegations, calling the lawsuit “a baseless, politically motivated attack” intended to influence Florida’s gubernatorial race. Campaign officials also point to Mason’s previous legal disputes with the Donalds family.
The case now heads to civil court, where the allegations will be tested through the legal process. At this stage, these are allegations contained in a lawsuit, and no court has ruled on their merits.
