COLONIAL HEIGHTS, Va. (AP) - A former candidate for Hopewell sheriff has filed a lawsuit against a member of the City Council, claiming she defamed her when she linked her to a hate group.
The Progress-Index (https://bit.ly/1cEdpYc ) reports that Cathie Mitchell is seeking $2.35 million for the social media comments posted by Brenda Pelham.
In the posting, Pelham wrote that Mitchell and Hopewell’s commonwealth attorney were “part of the Klan” that attempted to remove an African-American police chief from office.
Pelham said her posting was meant to refer to a group of people, or clan, rather than the Ku Klux Klan.
Mitchell’s suit claims otherwise, contending that Pelham’s post suggested “both directly and indirectly” that Mitchell “was a member of the Ku Klux Klan.”
The lawsuit was filed in Colonial Heights Circuit Court.
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Information from: The Progress-Index, https://www.progress-index.com
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