ALLEGING “POLITICAL CONSPIRACY” TO DEPRIVE HIM OF SENATE ELECTION WIN
by Sharon Rondeau
(Apr. 30, 2018) — A new attorney for former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore and his wife announced on Monday that she filed a lawsuit against the women who accused Moore of sexual improprieties during the heated U.S. Senate special election which ended December 12 in Moore’s defeat by Democrat Doug Jones.
The presser was streamed live on Facebook on Monday afternoon.
The complaint was filed Monday in Etowah County Circuit Court and alleges a “political conspiracy” on the part of the named defendants to see that Moore lost the election.
In January, one of the accusers, Leigh Corfman, who had claimed that Moore made sexual advances toward her when she was 14, sued Moore for defamation, with Moore counter-suing her earlier this month.
Attorney Melissa Isaak began the presser by announcing that “over $40 million was spent” during the campaign to defeat Moore and accused defendants Richard Hagedorn, Marjorie Leigh Corfman, Debbie Wesson Gibson, Beverly Young Nelson, and Tina Johnson of participating in the “conspiracy” which she said “destroyed” Moore’s career.
Moore had twice been elected to serve as Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice after serving as Etowah County deputy district attorney. He is a Vietnam combat veteran and graduate of the University of Alabama School of Law.
Isaak claimed that the defendants had “ties to each other” and to “the Democrat Party.”
Moore and his wife appeared at the presser, with Moore answering some of the media’s questions after Isaak finished speaking.
While Moore had been polling ahead in the general election contest by double digits, Isaak said, “32 days before the election, there were allegations that were malicious and false.” She refuted media reports which said that “nine women” had claimed improprieties against Moore and that in reality there were “three.”
During the campaign, Moore had denied all of the allegations. After stepping to the lectern, Moore introduced the gentleman standing next to Isaak as Jeremy Richards, another attorney representing him.
The url and lead-in to AL.com’s article about the lawsuit stated that Moore would be “discussing allegations” which arose during the Senate race.
While the url remains the same, the article’s title now reads, “Roy Moore files complaints claiming ‘political conspiracy’ targeted his Senate run.”
The Post & Email is named in the complaint.
Just published a story on this, Bob. We were not “named” as a defendant, as your comment might imply, but rather, our work was cited. There is a difference.