• The Palm Beach County Sheriff election fallout continues with a lawsuit between the Police Benevolent Association (PBA) and the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP).
• PBA President John Kazanjian is suing the FOP for defamation, alleging false statements damaged his reputation and the PBA's membership.
• The FOP claims the statements, made during the election, are protected under the First Amendment and that Kazanjian is a public figure.
• The lawsuit centers around accusations of financial misconduct and improper use of funds, which the PBA denies.
• Both sides are confident in their legal positions and are prepared to continue the legal battle.

The contentious Palm Beach County sheriff's election that pitted incumbent Ric Bradshaw against Michael Gauger, his former top deputy, has been over for more than five months. But the wounds it inflicted show no signs of healing anytime soon.

Bradshaw, who won the election, was endorsed by the Palm Beach County Police Benevolent Association; Gauger by the Fraternal Order of Police. The two police unions are now locked in a messy lawsuit filed by the PBA.

John Kazanjian, president of both the county and state chapter of the PBA, alleges in the suit that FOP leadership defamed him by making false statements that tarnished his reputation and cost the PBA membership. The lawsuit cited claims by FOP leaders that he committed “fraud, obtained documents by criminal means, embezzled funds from the foundation of his late daughter — Kailin Kazanjian,...

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