(NN&V Staff) – On Thursday, Clark County District Court Judge Jessica Peterson rejected Nevada Republican Party Executive Director Alida Benson’s motion to dismiss a defamation lawsuit against her.
The lawsuit was brought by Amy Tarkanian, Elliot Malin, and Jason Guinasso, who alleged that Benson and James Blockey defamed them during a Clark County Republican Party meeting in September 2022.
The plaintiffs claimed that Benson said Tarkanian and Malin were “personally profiting” by supporting Democratic Attorney General Aaron Ford in the 2022 election. Benson had filed a SLAPP motion and a motion to dismiss, but Peterson denied her request to dismiss the case.
Benson had to prove that what she said was in advance of free speech, was made in public and was made in good faith, but she failed to do so. Peterson found that Benson’s statement was not truthful and that there was no evidence to show that Benson knew at the time that the statement was true or made without knowledge of its falsehood.
The defendants have a right to appeal the decision to the Nevada Supreme Court; otherwise, the case will move forward.
Tarkanian, Malin, and Guinasso said they are “very pleased” with the ruling. Benson referred the Review-Journal’s request for comment to her lawyer, who did not immediately return a request for comment.
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