On Friday, Charles Herbster filed a lawsuit against State Senator Julie Slama for defamation. This after Slama stated that she was sexually assaulted by Herbster at an event in 2019. Slama is one of 8 women claiming they were groped or sexually assaulted by the Republican gubernatorial candidate. The amount of damaged sought in that lawsuit is not known.
On Monday, Slama filed a lawsuit through an answer and counterclaim that refutes Herbster’s false accusations against her and claims damages for sexual battery.
KLIN News reached out to Slama’s litigation counsel Dave Lopez who stated:
“We have received and reviewed the lawsuit filed by Herbster against Senator Slama in the District Court of Johnson County, Nebraska. Although Herbster has stopped short of actually serving this lawsuit, and although it is defective in key respects, Senator Slama today filed an answer and counterclaim that refutes Herbster’s false allegations against her and claims damages for the sexual battery she suffered. Simultaneously, we have served notice to take Herbster’s videotaped deposition next Friday, May 6th, at the Johnson County Courthouse. These steps will immediately preserve Senator Slama’s legal rights and guarantee that Herbster’s pending lawsuit against her includes her response and counterclaim.”
Lopez went on to say they will not permit Herbster to file a frivolous, bad faith lawsuit that “purports to cast doubt on Senator Slama’s account of her sexual assault, use his national media megaphone to herald the existence of the lawsuit for his own gain, but then take no steps to actually serve it and subject himself to the legal accountability such service would trigger.”
Lopez also stated the lawsuit against Slama is a bad faith attempt to bully a sexual assault victim into silence.