Earlier this month, the Superior Court of New Jersey, Sussex County Law Division dismissed a defamation lawsuit brought against the Sussex County Democratic Committee. The Committee had challenged the lawsuit as a groundless attempt to silence the committee, calling the plaintiff out for making groundless claims not substantiated by law.
Cohn Lifland Pearlman Herrmann & Knopf, LLP, the attorneys for the Committee, pointed out that the First Amendment provides special protection against defamation suits brought by public officials, and argued that suits like this have the potential to chill free speech. The Court concurred.
“We have said from the start that the case was without merit, so we are pleased that the Court has dismissed the case,” says Jeffery W. Herrmann, Esq. “Political debate belongs in the town square, not in the courthouse. When people use the courts to try to silence their political critics, they attack the foundation of the Constitution’s support of free speech.”
"It’s vital to protect the First Amendment of our Constitution, and that’s exactly what we did,” said Dawne Rowe, chair of the Sussex County Democratic Committee. "We are pleased that the Court agreed."