Nancy Mace Seeks Sanctions Over ‘Illegal’ Deposition

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South Carolina congresswoman Nancy Mace has moved to intervene in a Charleston County lawsuit she says was filed to retaliate against her — accusing her ex-fiancé Patrick Bryant and his legal team of launching a secretive, unlawful campaign of discovery under the guise of corporate litigation.

In a motion filed on Tuesday (June 10, 2025), Mace is asking the court to throw out a petition filed by GLT2, LLC, an entity formed just one day before it sought court approval to subpoena and depose individuals allegedly involved in defaming the company. She’s also asking the court to sanction the company’s attorneys for what her legal team characterizes as a “brazen” and calculated abuse of the judicial system.

At the center of the dispute is a now-leaked deposition of Charleston-based political strategist Wesley Donehue, who was questioned at length in April about his communications with Mace. The deposition — conducted without court authorization — was later leaked to the press, with Mace arguing the move was part of a coordinated attempt to smear her reputation.

But that’s just one piece of a larger and increasingly tangled legal saga involving sexual misconduct allegations, revenge litigation, and political fallout.

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A TIMELINE THAT RAISES QUESTIONS

On February 10, 2025, Mace delivered a bombshell speech on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives in support of her Stop VOYEURS Act, federal legislation aimed at punishing individuals who secretly record or exploit others without their consent. During that speech, Mace named four men — including her ex-fiancé — whom she alleged had engaged in or enabled sexual misconduct and the exploitation of women and minors.

Just ten days later, on February 20, GLT2, LLC was registered with the South Carolina Secretary of State (SCSOS). Bryant is listed as a member of the company, per Mace’s claim. Within 24 hours of its creation, GLT2 filed a petition in Charleston County seeking permission to conduct pre-litigation depositions and subpoena records, allegedly to investigate harms done to its business interests.

But the LLC didn’t name any specific defendants — only “Jane Doe” and “John Doe.”

The GLT2 petition claimed the LLC was harmed by defamatory statements and needed pre-suit discovery to identify the parties responsible. But Mace’s attorneys argue the company was never really concerned about protecting its business. Instead, the motion argues, the company’s entire legal effort was designed to gain unauthorized access to Mace’s private communications and relationships — especially those involving Donehue — in retaliation for the speech Mace gave on the House floor.

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RELATED | BOMBSHELL DEPOSITION: NANCY MACE’S FORMER STRATEGIST UNLOADS

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The court never authorized such discovery, however, according to Mace’s pleading.

Nonetheless, GLT2’s lawyer – Barrett Brewer – subpoenaed Donehue for a deposition on April 28, 2025 and proceeded to question him extensively about Mace. Donehue told the court he only agreed to be deposed because of the subpoena’s legal threat.

Weeks later, an uncertified copy of the deposition transcript was leaked to the press. FITSNews published explosive excerpts from the document on May 21, 2025 in a story detailing Donehue’s criticisms of Mace’s behavior, political decision-making and personal conduct — a report which sparked widespread media attention.

Mace’s legal team now alleges that leak was part of a calculated strategy designed to humiliate her and chill her public statements.

“This conduct was willful and improper,” the motion (.pdf) argues. “It reflects a knowing circumvention of the judicial process and warrants the imposition of appropriate sanctions.”

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RELATED | JANE DOE LAWSUIT TARGETS NANCY MACE’S EX-FIANCEE

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THE JANE DOE LAWSUIT: MORE PRESSURE FROM MORE ANGLES

Further complicating matters is a separate civil lawsuit filed on May 29 (.pdf) — this one by an anonymous woman identified only as “Jane Doe” who accuses Bryant along with John Osborne, Eric Bowman and Pommer Group LLC  of sexually assaulting her while she was unconscious.

The plaintiff, then 23 years old, was reportedly working as Bryant’s assistant at the time. She claims she was heavily intoxicated – possibly drugged – when Osborne allegedly performed sex acts on her while she was unconscious, as Bryant and Bowman watched and filmed.

Bowman’s former partner – referred to in the complaint as “JDW” – reportedly witnessed the assault via security cameras in the home and documented what she saw in a diary entry emailed to herself the following morning.

“Bowman and Bryant took pictures on their cell phones of plaintiff’s private parts while she was unconscious and wearing a bra and no underwear,” the complaint alleged. “Osborne digitally penetrated (Doe)’s vagina and performed cunnilingus on her while Bowman and Bryant filmed it. (Doe) was unconscious and did not consent or have the capacity to consent.”

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The complaint claimed JDW later provided the email and screenshots to Mace – and to law enforcement. The woman said she only learned of the assault in April 2024, when Mace called her directly and informed her about the video she had discovered on Bryant’s phone.

Since then, the plaintiff alleged, she has endured threats, harassment and public shaming. The complaint further detailed alleged attempts by Bowman and Bryant to intimidate her into silence, including threatening to release videos of her intoxicated and contacting media outlets with her personal information.

Though Mace is not a plaintiff in that case, it directly relates to the same pattern of conduct she described in her February House speech — and the same individuals she named on the congressional record. Her attorneys argue this strengthens the case that GLT2’s petition is retaliatory, especially given Bryant’s connection to the company.

Doe’s lawsuit also raises questions about how information might have been shared — or shielded — between civil litigants and GLT2’s effort to gain discovery from third parties like Donehue. One of Mace’s primary legal arguments is that the GLT2 proceeding was a backdoor attempt to collect testimony and evidence that could be used to undermine both her political credibility and other legal actions involving Bryant.

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A HIGH-STAKES FIGHT

Mace’s motion, filed by Charleston attorneys Robert J. Wyndham and Mary Grace Maybank, asks the court to:

• Grant her full intervention rights in the GLT2 case,
• Dismiss GLT2’s pre-suit discovery petition, and
• Sanction the attorneys involved, citing Rule 11 violations for filing frivolous or bad-faith pleadings and knowingly violating discovery rules.

Her attorneys say GLT2 not only failed to name her as an adverse party despite targeting her in discovery, but also began issuing subpoenas before any judicial approval was given — then tried to delay court hearings while continuing to gather information in secret.

They argue that the company’s stated intent to potentially voluntarily dismiss the petition once discovery is complete is further proof that it was a sham proceeding — a legal stunt designed to gather damaging material, leak it, and walk away without judicial scrutiny.

What began as a floor speech about voyeurism and exploitation has exploded into a multi-front legal war involving powerful men, political operatives, shadow corporations, and now a federal lawmaker invoking her rights as a target of what she says is a malicious and unlawful campaign.

With this motion, Nancy Mace isn’t just defending herself in court — she’s aiming to expose the mechanics of a legal strategy she believes was designed to silence her through intimidation and procedural trickery.

A hearing date on her motion has not yet been set, but the outcome could shape the future of multiple lawsuits — and public narratives — now unfolding in the wake of her fiery February speech.

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THE MOTION…

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …

Jenn Wood is FITSNews’ incomparable research director. She’s also the producer of the FITSFiles and Cheer Incorporated podcasts and leading expert on all things Murdaugh/ South Carolina justice. A former private investigator with a criminal justice degree, evildoers beware, Jenn Wood is far from your average journalist! A deep dive researcher with a passion for truth and a heart for victims, this mom of two is pretty much a superhero in FITSNews country. Did we mention she’s married to a rocket scientist? (Lucky guy!) Got a story idea or a tip for Jenn? Email her at jenn@fitsnews.com.

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