Overview
- Court records show Collier County School Board member Kelly Mason filed a civil assault complaint on Tuesday that accuses Rep. Byron Donalds of berating and threatening her during an August 2022 encounter at a Naples grocery store.
- Mason's complaint says Donalds told her he could “crush” or “finish” her and seeks compensatory and punitive damages plus a jury trial for emotional distress and related harms.
- Reporters cite a Daily Mail-obtained video that appears to show Donalds shouting at Mason in the store and telling her to “end it” and “stop the lawsuits,” while the suit also alleges a senior adviser pursued Mason through the store.
- Donalds's campaign called the allegation a "baseless, politically motivated attack," and the candidate remains the GOP frontrunner in polls and fundraising as rivals press him on debates and campaign scrutiny.
- The complaint ties back to earlier litigation over Mason Classical Academy involving Erika Donalds that settled in December 2024, and the case could prompt court hearings and renewed media attention in the weeks before the primary.