São Paulo Court Orders Deputy Nikolas Ferreira to Pay R$40,000 Over Transphobic Post

Overview

• São Paulo’s 42nd Civil Court of the TJSP ordered payment of R$ 40,000 in moral damages to digital influencer Kim Flores, with the ruling published on November 19 and still subject to appeal.
• The case stems from a 2022 video in which Flores reported being refused service by a salon for serving only “biological women,” which Ferreira reposted with the comment that she “is a man.”
• Judge André Augusto Salvador Bezerra rejected claims of parliamentary immunity, finding the conduct targeted an individual and fell outside legitimate political discourse.
• The decision also requires Ferreira to cover case costs and attorney fees set at 10% of the award, citing the heightened societal harm when discriminatory speech is amplified by an elected official.
• Ferreira criticized the ruling on social media as a violation of “biological truth,” while prior decisions in Minas Gerais and the Federal District show earlier condemnations related to anti-trans conduct.