(Omaha, NE) -- Nebraska State Senator Julie Slama files a countersuit against Charles Herbster.
On Monday, Slama's attorney Dave Lopez, issued the following statement:
In our statement Friday, we stated that Charles Herbster will be subject to the full scope of civil discovery if he proceeds with any legal attack against Senator Julie Slama. With our court filings today, we make good on that promise.
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.
We will not permit Charles 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 that 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. We will show this lawsuit for what it is: a frivolous and bad faith attempt to bully a sexual assault victim into silence. Charles Herbster chose to subject himself to Nebraska’s judicial system, and Senator Slama will hold him to that choice. - David Lopez
On Friday, Herbster's campaign announced that he had filed a lawsuit in Johnson County in response to accusations made by Slama that she had been sexually assaulted by Herbster at a Republican dinner in 2019. The Nebraska Examiner recently published a report detailing the alleged incidents involving Herbster. The article cites reports from eight women, including Slama, about inappropriate touching by Herbster. Other woman have reported over the clothes touching, while one woman says Herbster forcibly kissed her. Herbster has not yet responded to Monday's filing by Slama.