When it became apparent to Roy Moore that accusations he molested women and pursued girls young enough to be his daughters weren’t going away, he threatened to haul the women who spoke up against him into court.
Well, it turns out that Moore is on his way to court. But he’s going to be in the defendant’s chair. One of the women who came forward to accuse Moore of molesting her is suing Moore for defamation. Leigh Corfman, one of five women who told their stories to The Washington Post in November, claims that ugly personal attacks by Moore and staffers with his campaign caused her great emotional and physical distress.
ThinkProgress obtained a copy of Corfman’s complaint, which was filed in Montgomery County circuit court. Read it here. It contends that Moore and his campaign have defamed and disparaged her almost from the time The Post’s story went live by claiming that her allegations were “politically motivated,” “completely false and untrue,” “dirty politics,” and “fake news.” She also contends Moore defamed her by repeatedly denying he even knew Corfman.
It also contends that a number of Moore campaign staffers joined in on the effort to smear her. Among other things, campaign chairman Bill Armistead dismissed her as “a problem child” in an interview with The Weekly Standard. Turning to the bizarre press conference Moore’s campaign held on November 21, Corfman claims that Benjamin DuPre’s efforts to knock her claims down don’t hold up under “the most superficial investigation.”
Corfman argues that Moore’s 11th-hour lawsuit to stop Alabama officials from certifying his defeat at the hands of Doug Jones was another attempt to defame her. Moore claims that he took a polygraph after the election, which supposedly proved that he did not act inappropriately with Corfman and two other accusers. However, Corfman notes, Moore never identified the person who conducted the polygraph, the questions asked, or the answers given. Nor did the examiner submit an affidavit of his own. The supposed polygraph also made no mention of six other women who have come forward.
Corfman also contends that Moore supporters targeted her with “hateful, derogatory, and even violent remarks” on Twitter during and after the campaign. Here’s a sample.
@MooreSenate Accuser Leigh Corfman is No Victim! She is a Liar! She smeared herself in an interview by trying to destroy others. This is clearly, politically motivated. She was very promiscuous, she said that at 14 she was a child playing in an adults world. No Victim Here!
— fordram111 (@fordram111) November 22, 2017
https://twitter.com/Nationalism1st/status/932616260130693120
Leigh Corfman lies and babies are gonna die!
Alabama got played and now they’re gonna pay.
@GDouglasJones is a liberal Dem who approved of everything done to steal that seat including importing fraudulent votes.
— ❌Tim McGuire❌ (@iamajax) December 19, 2017
https://twitter.com/JesusIsKing2024/status/929351246510686209
Leigh Corfman, accuser of #RoyMoore, has a history of false accusations. At least three cases of “sexual misconduct” were brought up before her church district board. All dismissed due to her being “uncredible”.
Also tried to sue a pastor in 2007. Same reason. Same outcome.— DC Hinckley (@DC1776) November 10, 2017
The accusations against Moore have at this point been proven false. It's all lies. Yet you pretend as if none of this has come out. Corfman is one big liar. Her story doesn't add up. Nelson should be put in jail for her big fat lie. Probably someone like Rove behind this. DIRTY
— DodgUSA24 (@DodgUSA24) November 30, 2017
Ladies…if you want to accuse a man, DO NOT DO IT VIA ENDORSERS OF OPPOSING CANDIDATE ONE MONTH BEFORE AN ELECTION.
We don't know for sure about Leigh Corfman but we can only assume FAKE because she is using it for political reasons.
That generally means it's a lie.— Josco (@JoscoJVTeam) January 1, 2018
As a result of these and other attacks, Corfman was forced to go on unpaid leave from her job until after the election.
Corfman begged Moore to call off the dogs in an open letter published at AL.com on November 28, and demanded that Moore “stop calling me a liar and attacking my character” and have the decency to apologize. That request went unanswered, so Corfman is taking the next step.
Lest you think Corfman is trying to shake the tree, she is not seeking any money beyond reimbursement for her legal expenses. All she wants is a legal judgment finding that Moore and his campaign defamed her, and for Moore to be ordered to publicly apologize to her and never attack her again.
Corfman’s suit is very similar to one filed by Summer Zervos against Trump. Zervos claims Trump kissed and groped her in 2007, and that he defamed her by calling her a liar. A number of women have turned to defamation suits as a way to get their day in court when their alleged attackers drag their names through the mud after they come forward.
Ironically, Corfman’s cause was inadvertently helped by two of Moore’s most obnoxious surrogates, Breitbart News and Project Veritas. Breitbart, you may recall, spent the entire campaign smearing Corfman and the other accusers, while Project Veritas tried to rook The Post into running bogus accusations about Moore. But over Christmas, Breitbart editor-in-chief Alex Marlow admitted that Corfman sounded credible. Project Veritas ringleader James O’Keefe also admitted that he believed Corfman and the other women. Chances are that with those two fake news shops effectively neutered, we won’t have to worry about Corfman being the target of dirty tricks.
Moore may have thought that the threat of a lawsuit would have been enough to make Corfman and the other women back down. Well, Corfman not only didn’t back down, but she just turned the tables on him.
(featured image courtesy Moore’s Facebook)