Former Chief Justice Roy Moore has won a long-standing lawsuit that stemmed from a derogatory ad run against him in his 2017 bid for U.S. Senate.
On Friday, a jury in the federal court in the Northern District of Alabama found the Senate Majority PAC out of Washington D.C was liable for $8.2 million in damages to Moore.
“Justice is served,” said Moore’s son, Caleb. “We have been fighting these people for five years. We had a fair judge and a fair jury. Anyone who looks at this case and the statements that were made, I don’t care if you are Democrat or Republican, it was wrong.”
The judgment was for injury to his reputation in the 2017 special election to the United States Senate, caused by the "Shopping Mall Ad," which stated that he had been "actually banned from the Gadsden mall for soliciting sex from young girls."
The Senate Majority PAC, which claims to be “solely dedicated to protecting and expanding our Democratic majority in the U.S. Senate, was ruled by a jury trial to have published the statements “with actual malice,” according to one of Moore’s attorneys, Talmadge Butts.
The ad came after an onslaught of sexual misconduct accusations after he announced his bid for Senate. The ad claimed that Moore had been banned from the mall, a claim that was repeated on national news sites and late-night shows. The controversies undoubtedly contributed to his defeat in the special election by Doug Jones.
"This is a huge blow to a major Super PAC out of Washington DC that interfered in a senate election in the state of Alabama," Moore said. "The people of this state are tired of dirty politics and attempts by the establishment in Washington DC to control who the people of this state elect to the United States Senate. I feel this is vindication and I give thanks to Almighty God and the jurors in this case for a great victory over our corrupt political system."
"The verdict by this jury of regular people of the state of Alabama represents a great legal victory over those who will say and do anything to capture an election, including dragging the name of a good man through the mud to destroy a hard-earned reputation,” said Moore's attorney, Jeff Wittenbrink. “The facts of this case were so egregious that the jury quickly found actual malice against the Senate Majority Super PAC. God's truth and justice won the day for Judge Roy Moore."
To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email craig.monger@1819news.com.
Don’t miss out! Subscribe to our newsletter and get our top stories every weekday morning
