By Samuel Mattison
Alabama Political Reporter
Former GOP U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore established a fund to pay for legal battles he will soon face in court regarding a recent defamation suit by Leigh Corfman, who accused him of sexually assaulting her when she was 14 years old.
The Washington Post reported that Moore pursued relationships with teenagers while he was a 30-year-old assistant district attorney in Etowah County four weeks before the election. Corfman said in the story that Moore sexually assaulted her when she was a 14 year old in the late 1970s.
Moore and his campaign denied both allegations and said the report was a coordinated effort by Washington Establishment figures and the newspaper.
Corfman, in her lawsuit against Moore and his campaign, said that Moore’s comments about her caused emotional distress and that she had to take a leave of absence from her job for the duration of the Senate election.
She is asking for legal fees to be paid but didn’t ask for any punitive damages in her suit. She is also additionally requesting that Moore and his team retract statements that she considers to be false.
Moore’s team reported that he already raised more than $6,000 to fund his legal fights with a $250,000 goal to hit.
The former state Supreme Court chief justice lost the Senate race in December after his opponent, Democrat Doug Jones, defeated him be a narrow margin. Despite the growing gap between the two candidates, Moore did not concede on election night.
In the following days, Moore would start an “election integrity” fund to investigate what he said were systematic violations of state election laws.
Secretary of State John Merrill said at the state Canvas Board meeting in December that his office had thoroughly investigated claims of voter fraud and found them to be lacking.
Moore’s final attempt would come when he filed a motion to stop the state Canvassing Board from certifying December’s special election results. The motion was denied by Judge Johnny Hardwick in a legal motion handed down hours before the board met.
Since that time, Moore still did not concede the election, but also didn’t sponsor a recount, which could have reached into millions of dollars if it had been statewide.
Moore did not meet the qualifications for a state-sponsored recount.
