Several media outlets and individuals were put on notice earlier this week after a pregnant white woman was widely criticized on social media following a viral video regarding a confrontation over a bike, with her lawyer threatening defamation lawsuits.

Following the viral circulation of the video, which amassed over 40 million views, Sarah Comrie faced consequences as she was put on leave from her employment at Bellevue Hospital. Since then, Comrie’s lawyer presented evidence indicating that she had indeed purchased the bike, contradicting the widely circulated claim that she had “stolen” it from the group involved in the confrontation.

“We are gonna get an answer when we start filing defamation lawsuits,” lawyer Justin Marino told Fox News’ Bill Hemmer Friday. “She’s been called a racist, she’s been called a thief, there are reasons defamation laws exist, and we plan to pursue that.”

"She's been called a racist. She's been called a thief. There are reasons defamation laws exist, and we plan to pursue that."

Lawyer for woman at the center of viral Citi Bike video is planning to sue the media. pic.twitter.com/ZLUB8ehKwx

— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) May 19, 2023

“She’s received death threats,” Marino continued, as reported by the Daily Wire. “She’s in hiding. What’s at play is what social media did to this woman who’s literally a hero, and has done nothing but help people and within one minute effectively tries to ruin her life.”

The report added:

Marino has shown media outlets two timestamped Citi Bike receipts only minutes apart; the first purportedly represented the contested bike while the second was for another bike the woman rented to get home, and it showed the 25-minute ride she took to get home. 

Despite the limited context shown in the video, many on social media and some media outlets quickly ran with the framing that Comrie had tried to steal the bike from the black man, labeling her a “Karen.” The outlet “Bicycling,” a cycling magazine published by Hearst Communications, ran a headline entitled “‘Pregnant NYC Karen’ on Video Trying To Steal a Black Man’s Citi Bike” that described Comrie as “the aggressor.”

“Many Black people have voiced their disdain about white privilege and how it can be weaponized to cause harm and in ill-fated circumstances, possibly even a loss of life,” the article begins.

“Her screams for help, despite not being in harm’s way, is the definition of white privilege,” the article, no longer appears online except on archive sites, continued. “Again declarations for help, even though she is the aggressor.”

In a now-deleted tweet, attorney Ben Crump, who is black and is known for his involvement in high-profile cases related to law enforcement, made a claim stating that Sarah Comrie had attempted to “steal” the bike.

“This is unacceptable! A white woman was caught on camera attempting to STEAL a Citi Bike from a young Black man in NYC. She grossly tried to weaponize her tears to paint this man as a threat. This is EXACTLY the type of behavior that has endangered so many Black men in the past!” he wrote.