Friday, November 7, 2008

The Campaigns Are Over, and So Are the Ads -- but Not the Lawsuits

Nasty campaign ads did more than push ridiculed candidates over the edge this election. They drove them into court.

Negative campaign ads triggered several defamation lawsuits nationwide, with candidates crying foul and some lawyers saying enough is enough.

In North Carolina, Democrat Kay Hagan has filed a defamation lawsuit against her Republican opponent, Sen. Elizabeth Dole, over a television ad that accused her of having ties to an atheist political action committee. The ad linked Hagan to a group called the Godless Americans, stating "A leader of the Godless Americans PAC recently held a secret fundraiser in Kay Hagan's honor." It ended with a female voice saying, "There is no God."

Hagan ended up beating Dole.

In Minnesota, Republican Sen. Norm Coleman is suing Democratic challenger Al Franken over TV and radio ads that allegedly contained lies about him. The ads included statements that Coleman was named "the fourth most corrupt senator in Washington" and lives in a Washington apartment "almost rent free." A recount has been ordered in the Coleman-Franken race. Coleman led Franken by 727 votes out of about 2.9 million cast.

Read full story Law.com

Posted by Personal Injury Lawyers in Phoenix, Arizona

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