WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) - Three former lawmakers will go to trial in the defamation lawsuit brought by Wichita Mayor Brandon Whipple.
Last week, former Sedgwick County Commissioner Michael O’Donnell, former Wichita City Council member James Clendenin and former state representative Michael Capps sought to be removed from the case. They argued there isn’t enough evidence against them to allow the lawsuit to continue.
The three were involved in a false attack ad against Brandon Whipple during his run Wichita mayoral campaign in 2019.
In court last week, O’Donnell’s attorney addressed a false statement made in the political attack ad against Whipple, namely that Whipple sexually harassed women.
“There is not one shred of evidence that Michael O’Donnell knew the statement was false and disregarded it,” O’Donnell’s attorney said.
Representing Whipple, attorney Randy Rathbun said the three men did know and intentionally spread false claims.
“There was no serious doubts about the truth of the story,” Rathbun said. “They knew it wasn’t true. It was just a lie made up to win an election.”
Other defense claims argued that the defamation suit from Whipple has no merit because he won the mayoral election and suffered no damage to his reputation.
Rathbun said that clam had no merit.
With a judge ruling that this case can move forward, the trail is scheduled for July 11.
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