Forsyth County Billionaire Rick Jackson Sues Lt. Gov. Burt Jones for Defamation

Rick Jackson, the Forsyth County billionaire and founder of Jackson Healthcare, filed a defamation lawsuit in Fulton County Superior Court against Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and his campaign, accusing them of publishing knowingly false social media statements that called Jackson a recruiter for Planned Parenthood and an enabler of transgender procedures on minors.

The lawsuit, which does not specify a monetary damage amount, centers on three statements Jones allegedly posted in the last week to the official Burt Jones for Georgia account on X, tagging Jackson by name on a platform the complaint describes as "viewable by millions." The complaint says Jones acted "intentionally and maliciously" after a Savannah television news site published a new poll showing the governor's race tightening.

Jackson's complaint is unsparing in its language. "It is a lie," the filing states. "A disgusting lie. The accusations are knowingly false. Rick Jackson has no professional relationship with Planned Parenthood. Jackson has never 'helped' transgender procedures on minors." The complaint goes further, arguing that the accusations "are not matters of interpretation, emphasis, or political disagreement. They are specific, concrete, verifiable factual claims about Jackson's professional conduct. Jones and his Campaign know the claims are false."

Jones campaign spokesperson Kayla Lott pushed back sharply. "Rick Jackson's thin skin is showing," Lott said. "Why is Rick so embarrassed to have received a billion dollars in state contracts, helped Planned Parenthood recruit, and staff a pediatric doctor's office that serves 'transgender patients.' He should be proud Georgia knows how his company made its money."

The Jones campaign has not limited its counterattack to social media. It has also deployed a mobile billboard circulating around metro Atlanta directing voters to a website attacking Jackson's business record and political background.

This is the second lawsuit Jackson has filed against Jones in recent months. The first, filed in federal court, sought to prevent Jones from using a leadership committee to fund his gubernatorial campaign, a mechanism that allowed Jones to raise unlimited donations while other candidates remained subject to Georgia's standard contribution limits. When a judge issued a temporary restraining order in that earlier case, Jackson's campaign said it "made clear that Burt Jones doesn't get his own rulebook." The Jones campaign responded by accusing Jackson of "taking a page from Stacey Abrams' playbook, using lawfare to target President Trump's endorsed candidate for Governor."

Jones entered the race as the presumptive frontrunner, backed by a Trump endorsement the president granted last year in recognition of Jones' role as one of the "alternate electors" who submitted a slate of Electoral College votes on Trump's behalf in 2020, when Jones was still a state senator. Jackson, who announced his campaign last month, has rapidly emerged as Jones' most formidable challenger.

Jackson's lawyers argue the defamatory posts were timed deliberately to wound Jackson among conservative primary voters as polling suggested the race was narrowing. Qualifying for the May 19, 2026 Republican primary closed last Friday, meaning the field is now set and the conflict between Georgia's two most prominent GOP gubernatorial candidates shows no sign of cooling before voters cast their ballots.