Florida Rep. Byron Donalds is facing a civil assault lawsuit after being accused of cornering a mother at a grocery store in Naples, Florida, and threatening to “crush” her. According to The Daily Mail, the lawsuit was filed on Tuesday, July 7, 2026, by Kelly Mason, a member of the Collier County School Board.
The incident allegedly took place in August 2022. According to the lawsuit, Donalds deliberately confronted Mason at a gourmet grocery store while her husband and two young children were present. Mason said the encounter was aggressive, stating that “Byron becomes very belligerent, raising his voice, yelling at me; it was about dropping this lawsuit.”
Video footage of the interaction shows Donalds shouting at Mason as she tries to walk away. In the video, he can be heard saying, “End it Kelly… Stop the lawsuits.” Mason said she felt threatened by his behavior, adding that “he was threatening me, and then saying he is going to crush me and come after me, and that I should drop the lawsuit with his wife.”
The backstory behind the grocery store confrontation and what it means for the governor’s race
The confrontation stems from an earlier legal dispute between Mason and Erika Donalds, a charter school executive and the congressman’s wife. Mason had filed a lawsuit against Erika Donalds, alleging an attempt to take control of the Mason Classical Academy, a charter school Mason founded. That case was settled in December 2024.
A spokesperson for the Donalds campaign dismissed the current lawsuit as a “baseless, politically motivated attack and shameful publicity stunt” intended to damage Donalds in the 2026 election. The lawsuit was filed just over a month before the Republican primary, which is scheduled for August 18. A similar dynamic played out in California, where Trump picked a side in the governor’s race.
Despite the lawsuit, Donalds remains a strong contender in the Florida governor’s race. A poll conducted in May 2026 by Change Research showed him leading the field by nearly 40 points, and he has received an endorsement from President Donald Trump. In another case, Trump’s own history with draft deferments has drawn criticism.
This is not the first time allegations of aggressive behavior have been directed at those connected to Donalds. Cindy Banyai, a Democrat who previously ran against him for Congress, said that a senior aide to Donalds once cornered her on the campaign trail and shouted at her. Mason, speaking about the broader implications, said, “It is scary to think about someone like him getting even more power, but there needs to be attention to who he really is.”
According to Mason’s attorney, the statute of limitations for the alleged assault was a key reason for the timing of the filing, with the legal deadline set to expire in August 2026.
Published: Jul 8, 2026 10:45 am