Former New Jersey politician Michael Panter has replied to Bill O’Reilly’s $5 million defamation suit with a threat of a countersuit.
“This action seeks redress for Defendant Panter’s intentional, malicious and bad faith actions in making defamatory and false statements in a publicly available social media post,” says the O’Reilly filing, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
“Plaintiff seeks damages for the public hatred, ridicule, disgrace and permanent harm to his professional and personal reputations as a result of Defendant Panter’s publication of knowingly false defamatory statements about Plaintiff, which were made with actual malice, as well as Defendant Panter’s intentional infliction of emotional distress upon Plaintiff.”
Friday afternoon, Democrat Panter said on Facebook: “I am speaking the truth, and expect my account to be fully corroborated.
[O’Reilly’s] actions give me a small sense of what victims must feel when speaking up against powerful men, and why more men hesitate to do so. I spoke up, and hope I’ll be supported as I’ve supported others.
“After discussing this matter with a leading firm, I believe there is a strong basis to bring defamation claims against Mr. O’Reilly. Since I am not seeking personal gain, any recovery would be devoted to groups supporting victims of sexual harassment and abuse.
“It is my hope that course of action will not be necessary, and these matters can be more amicably resolved.”