Brewery That Blamed Closure on ‘Woke Mob’ Files $50M Defamation Lawsuit Against Local Critics

(Photo: Armed Forces Brewing Co.)

The Armed Forces Brewing Company in Norfolk, Virginia, has filed a $50 million lawsuit against locals who it says led a “coordinated pressure campaign” that forced the premise’s closure.

The military-themed brewery moved from Maryland to Virginia in 2023, and was swiftly criticized by community members who took issue with the brand’s far-right-wing messaging. Little over a year after opening its doors, CEO Alan Beal announced that the brewery was moving operations, blaming its pivot on a “local woke mob,” despite legal filings revealing financial issues.

On Monday, lawyers representing AFBC filed a defamation suit that took aim at a wide net of locals. Defendants mentioned in the suit include Andrew Coplon, founder of Craft Beer Professionals, freelance photojournalist Zach D. Roberts and political activist group Citizens for a Better Norfolk. The suit claims that the parties made false and derogatory statements that eroded AFBC’s relationship with local vendors, event operators and investors.

“This lawsuit is about coordinated and intentional economic destruction — not free speech,” CEO Alan Beal said in the news release. “The defendants didn’t merely criticize our company, they admittedly conspired and worked together to pressure our customers, vendors, sponsors, charitable partners, event operators, and business associates to sever ties with our company. They continuously spread false and defamatory narratives designed to damage our reputation and destroy our business.”

Much of the controversy surrounding AFBC revolved around its brand ambassador, Robert J. O’Neill, the former U.S. Navy SEAL who claims to have killed Osama bin Laden. The political pundit and author drew criticism for several of his social media posts, including a tweet in which he voiced disapproval of the Navy for hiring an active-duty drag queen as a recruiter. In 2023, O’Neill was removed from his public-facing role at the brewery after he was accused of assaulting a security guard and calling him a racial slur. O’Neill is still listed as a shareholder and advisor on the AFBC website.

Locals also objected to AFBC’s advertisements, one of which depicted scantily-clad women in faux-military outfits, and another which criticized the Internet for being “so negative about America.”

“The fact that they didn’t make it in Norfolk says more about them than it does about Norfolk. I think this is a good sign that Norfolk can come together and support local businesses that support Norfolk,” Norfolk LGBT Life Center CEO Stacie Walls told WTKR News after the brewery’s closure.

The lawsuit cites dozens of alleged incidents carried out by defendants as part of a broad “opposition campaign.” Lawyers representing AFBC claim that locals gathered nearly 800 signatures opposing the brewery’s permits, criticized the brewery for fostering a “culture of hate” and falsely accused its CEO of being a January 6th insurrectionist. Two passages in the lawsuit take issue with an anonymous Reddit account that mobilized locals to file complaints against AFBC.

Publicly available financial filings suggest that AFBC was already in the red when it moved to Norfolk. The company reported an over $2.4 million loss in 2023 and around $900,000 in losses the year prior.