Greenberg Asks Wilson-Foley To Retract Statements

Former congressional candidate Mark Greenberg says Lisa Wilson-Foley disseminated defamatory, libelous or slanderous statements on five different occasions during the 5th Congressional District primary campaign, and he’s asking her and her campaign staffers to retract the false statements in “as public a manner as that in which they were made.”

Greenberg and Wilson-Foley were opponents in a heated Aug. 14 four-way Republican primary. Andrew Roraback and Justin Bernier were also in the race. Roraback won.

On Monday, Greenberg’s attorney, Deborah Stevenson, wrote a letter to Wilson-Foley, her campaign and at least three of her campaign staffers, including former Republican Party Chairman Chris Healy, asking them to retract the false statements within one week of receiving the letter.

“Failure to retract those statements within one week of receipt of this letter will result in further legal action,” Stevenson wrote.

In her letter, Stevenson highlights five instances where she believes Wilson-Foley and her campaign indicated falsehoods regarding Greenberg’s businesses and financial footing: a radio ad, a television ad, a robocall, a mailer and a research report.

Stevenson said she is awaiting notification that the letters have been received. They were to be delivered by judicial marshal, she said.

On Friday, Healy said he had already received his letter from Stevenson, calling the request to retract advertisements amusing.

“It’s a little late to get indignant,” he said.

Healy said information included in Wilson-Foley’s advertisements or other campaign communications was true and that the First Amendment allows for political discourse. It was a tough campaign, and the letter is probably a result of Greenberg’s lack of understanding of the law, or his ability to get over his defeat, Healy said.

“I don’t view it as much more than an annoyance,” he said.

Reached by email Friday, Wilson-Foley said she had not seen her letter yet.

“The election was in August and I have moved on with my life,” she said. “I hope Mark can too.”

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