A candidate in the Carroll County commissioners race filed a defamation lawsuit Monday against a local publication ? one day before the primary elections.
“[Calling someone] a wife-beater is a pretty inflammatory comment,” said C. Eric Bouchat, a Republican challenger from Woodbine.
Bouchat suedThe Carroll Standard ? a self-described “conservative countywide newsmagazine” that often criticizes county government ? for $1 plus legal costs, according to a lawsuit filed with the Carroll County Circuit Court.
“In an effort to hurt [Bouchat?s] election campaign [the Standard] published a story claiming that [he] was ?a convicted wife beater,? ” the lawsuit states.
“These statements were defamatory with the intention of injuring [Bouchat?s] election campaign. ? His standing in the community has been impaired and he has suffered personal humiliation.”
Bouchat was convicted of second-degree assault in 1997, according to court records, The Examiner reported two months ago.
With the Standard publishing its first print edition less than a week before the primary elections, calling Bouchat a “convicted wife beater” was an intentional move to hurt his election chances, said Crystal Barnett, Bouchat?s attorney.
“He was disappointed that it happened so close to the time of election,” she said. “It was being done with the intent to stop and thwart his campaign efforts.”
Barnett also said the Standard failed to attribute any source.
“The article doesn?t point to any source, and that?s a pretty harsh statement to make without disclosing a source,” she said.
Bouchat said this lawsuit is his chance to respond.
The Standard is “painting me with a bad brush to attack me,” he said.
The Standard?s publisher, Marcel van Rossum, said Bouchat didn?t have a case against the publication, known for denouncing the current board of commissioners.
“He has no legs to stand on,” van Rossum told The Examiner. “The reality is the record is the record.”
