Sen. Joe Morrissey is suing ME for defamation?!

Friends, Richmonders, countrymen,

You may or may not already be aware that my State Senator Joe Morrissey and I have been locked in litigation over the past several months. Senator Morrissey contends that my critical social media posts over the years concerning his conduct and fitness for office were defamatory, that is - he asserts my criticism was knowingly false and that it caused measurable harm to his reputation. Late last year, Senator Morrissey filed suit against me in Petersburg General District Court, claiming I owed him $25,000 in damages.

If you are reading this and you are able, I would be deeply grateful for any contribution toward the cost of my pro se legal defense.

Anyone even somewhat familiar with Senator Morrissey's long and infamous life in the public eye knows that no constituent's critical tweet could damage his reputation more than he has through his own outrageous actions over the past several decades. Not to mention the fact that everything I've ever said about Senator Morrissey has been 100% true. And the truth is an absolute defense against defamation.

Consider what the Supreme Court of Virginia had to say in 2019 when it declined to restore Senator Morrissey's license to practice law in Virginia (he has been barred from practicing in federal courts for nearly two decades).

"...the record indicates that Morrissey encouraged an underage girl to apply to his firm, knowing she was below the age of legal consent, and hired her as a receptionist. In short order, he engaged in a sexual relationship with her that began in the law office conference room. Despite his guilty plea, he tries to shift the blame to others. The facts in the record justify a finding by clear and convincing evidence that Morrissey’s violation of a criminal statute and the attendant circumstances call into question his honesty, trustworthiness, and fitness to practice law."

This is just one brief segment of one court document that demonstrates Senator Morrissey's accusations of defamation are completely without merit. I have spent the last several weeks compiling, printing, mailing, and filing hundreds of documents (over 1300 pages so far!) to support my defense against Senator Morrissey's accusations. I have done this on my own time, at my own expense, and without retaining legal counsel. I have also filed my own defamation suit against Senator Morrissey, who falsely and recklessly accused me of multiple crimes last year when he was informed that he had been censured by the Richmond City Democratic Community for threatening violence against a constituent. Recently, Senator Morrissey responded to my suit in Richmond Circuit Court with a counterclaim seeking $1.35 million in damages.

I believe this is a blatant and malicious attempt by Senator Morrissey (who sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee) to weaponize the courts against his own constituents. With his sordid misdeeds under more scrutiny than ever, he wants to intimidate into silence the people he has abused, deceived, and exploited throughout his career. Imagine the chilling effect on the public's right to free speech if merely echoing the sentiments of the Virginia Supreme Court can land you a million-dollar-plus lawsuit from a powerful state lawmaker.

For months now, I have been representing myself pro se in Petersburg General District Court and Richmond City Circuit Court. That has required me to spend much of my free time on research, and my own money on court filing fees and postage. These lawsuits against me are so transparently bogus that I do not necessarily plan on hiring legal counsel. I may not have a law degree but I firmly believe the truth will prevail, no matter how many big-dollar lawyers Senator Morrissey retains to attack me.

Senator Morrissey's strategy of intimidation is to make this process as expensive and onerous as possible, in the hopes that my funds and my faith will run out, and that I will agree to a confidential settlement and retract my statements. But I'm not settling and I'm not retracting. I will stick with this as long as needed to prove that we still have a right to speak out against those in power. I'm taking Fightin' Joe to the mat. And I need your help.

Any money raised will go towards defraying the cost of preparing and filing reams of paperwork and toward hiring legal representation if ultimately necessary. Thank you so much for your support.