Fired Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has had a public meltdown over a legal drama involving her son-in-law.
Noem, 54, was ousted from her MAGA job in March by President Donald Trump, following backlash over deadly ICE raids, an embarrassing congressional oversight hearing and a $220 million ad campaign starring the woman known as ICE Barbie for her agent cosplay.
Trump shunted Noem to a newly created position as the special envoy for the “Shield of the Americas.”
However, Noem fired up on Thursday after a legal spat involving her son-in-law Kyle Peters. Peters married Noem’s elder daughter, Kassidy, in 2019, and they have three children together. He is a city councilor in Watertown, South Dakota.
The civil lawsuit filed by Sioux Falls developer A1 Development Solutions against a company owned by Peters was dismissed with prejudice last week.
The plaintiff filed the lawsuit on Feb. 19, against Bad River Development and Peters, who is also a former employee of A1 Development who became an independent contractor.
The developer claimed Peters had used his position to allegedly steal multiple clients before he unexpectedly left the company in November 2025. The lawsuit claimed “Peters worked to benefit himself at the detriment of A1 Development” and that he “used his position to wrongfully divert business from A1 to his own personal benefit for at least 11 separate clients.”
In late August, Circuit Court Judge Carmen Means ordered the suit “dismissed upon its merits, with prejudice, and without costs to any party.”
“The case was resolved through agreement of the parties and has now been dismissed with prejudice,” Peters told the Argus Leader. “We are very pleased to have this matter fully and permanently behind us. We’ve moved forward and are focused on our growing businesses, creating opportunities, and our young families.”
After the case was dismissed, Noem used her X account on Thursday to share an article by independent and locally owned South Dakota newspaper the Dakota Scout covering the result, with a photo of Peters.
“You guys suck and you should apologize to him for dragging his reputation through the mud,” barked Noem, who served as South Dakota governor before Trump picked her to run Homeland Security in January 2025. “You did it to score political points against his mother-in-law. You are a tabloid. NOT reporters. He won. He was right. Publish that.”
One social media was quick to point out a settlement “is not a win.”
The Daily Beast has contacted reps for Noem for comment.
Court documents cited by the Leader said Peters was able to purchase membership units of A1 Development through his “wholly owned limited liability company Bad River,” which went on to own 17.5 percent of the company.
Bad River attempted to withdraw from A1 in October 2025, and “stopped participating in any business-related activities,” with Peters leaving A1 the next month.
Gemini Capitol, one of Peters’ largest clients, is the project developer behind a proposed data center in Sioux Falls. However, the South Dakota Legislature voted against all data-center-related tax exemptions earlier this year.
Noem’s husband Bryon found himself in headlines earlier this year when his “busty bimbo” alter ego was exposed, as well as paying tens of thousands to online fetish models. Kristi Noem’s mother said last month that the couple planned to divorce.
