MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - Former U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore is countersuing a woman who said he sexually touched her when she was 14 and he was 32.
Attorneys for Moore filed the defamation counterclaim Monday against Leigh Corfman - who has an ongoing defamation lawsuit against Moore - denying the accusations of misconduct raised by Corfman in an interview with the Washington Post. Corfman is among several women who say Moore romantically or sexually pursued them decades ago when they were in their teens and he was in his 30s.
“Leigh Corfman knowingly, willingly and maliciously made statements she knew to be false to the Washington Post with the intention and knowledge that such statements would damage the reputation of Mr. Moore,” attorneys for Moore wrote.
The accusations of sexual misconduct became an issue in the 2017 race in Alabama to replace Attorney General Jeff Sessions in the U.S. Senate. Moore lost to Democrat Doug Jones.
In the court filing, Moore’s attorneys blamed the election loss on the misconduct accusations. Moore’s attorneys said the accusations damaged his reputation, “leading to the loss of the Senate race.”
“This is and has been a political attempt to smear the good name and reputation of Judge Roy Moore and we will not let their injustice continue,” Moore’s attorney, Melissa Isaak, said in a statement issued Tuesday.
Corfman filed a defamation lawsuit against Moore and his campaign in January, a month after the election, saying Moore and his campaign defamed her and made false statements, calling her a liar and immoral, as they denied the claims in the midst of the election.
“Our client has been repeatedly called a liar - including in this court filing by Roy Moore,” Corfman’s attorney, Neil Roman wrote in an emailed statement. “As we have said all along, Ms. Corfman’s focus is on holding those who say that she lied accountable, and we look forward to the discovery process in our case against Mr. Moore and his campaign committee and defending our client in court.”
Corfman and her mother have said that Moore approached her in 1979 she waited outside a custody hearing at the Etowah County courthouse. Corfman said she later arranged to meet Moore and that he took her to his home and initiated the encounter.
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