Roy Moore sues over campaign ads against him

Former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore filed a lawsuit this week against several people and PACs who allegedly ran or contributed to misleading commercials against him during his unsuccessful bid for U.S. Senate last year.

Moore and his wife, Kayla Moore, filed a lawsuit in Alabama’s Etowah County Circuit Court, claiming the “misleading” and “defamatory” commercials targeted allegations of sexual misconduct against Roy Moore going back decades, local news outlet AL.com reported.

Several women came forward during Moore’s bid for Senate to accuse him of sexual misconduct. Moore’s accusers included one woman who said Moore initiated a sexual encounter with her when she was 14 and Moore was 32, allegations which Moore has denied.

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The suit says television, radio, digital and mail aids contributed to Moore’s defeat against Democrat Doug Jones.

The suit details a string of television commercials that declared Moore was banned from the Gadsden Mall in the 1970s, something he says never happened, AL.com reported.

“These advertisements included false content, which a reasonably prudent person knew or should have known to be false and the advertisements were so published with a reckless disregard as to their falsity,” the suit says.

Moore’s attorney, Melissa Isaak, said during a Wednesday press conference that her client’s reputation was “smeared beyond belief.”

“This was a political hit job, no question about it,” Isaak said.

The lawsuit names four men who worked at Longleaf Strategies of Montgomery and Highway 31 Super PAC.

It also targets Washington D.C.-based companies Bully Pulpit Interactive, Waterfront Strategies and Priorities USA. 

“We expect the courts to quickly dismiss this frivolous lawsuit and remain grateful to the people of Alabama for rejecting Roy Moore’s failed bid to join the United States Senate,” said Josh Schwerin, one of the four men named in the suit.

The lawsuit is the latest legal action Moore has taken following his December defeat.

In April, he filed a defamation lawsuit against one of his accusers, Leigh Corfman.

Later that month, Moore filed another lawsuit in Etowah County claiming there was a political conspiracy against him in the 2017 special election. The suit targeted a group of women, including Corfman, who accused him of sexual misconduct.

Corfman had sued Moore in January for defamation and Moore said the action was “frivolous and groundless.”

The former Alabama judge has also recently threatened to sue comedian Sacha Baron Cohen after he was duped into appearing on his new Showtime program. 

“I did not know Sacha Cohen or that a Showtime TV series was being planned to embarrass, humiliate, and mock not only Israel, but also religious conservatives such as Sarah Palin, Joe Walsh, and Dick Cheney,” Moore said earlier this month.

— Updated July 29 at 10:20 a.m.