Reggie Gaffney Sr. is suing Jacksonville City Council candidate Tameka Gaines Holly for defamation and interference with business relationships, according to court documents.
Gaffney Sr. is the father of Reggie Gaffney Jr., a current Jacksonville City Council member who succeeded his father in office and is now seeking re-election against Gaines Holly.
The nonprofit organization for which Gaffney Sr. is the executive director and Gaffney Jr. the assistant executive director — Community Rehabilitation Center (CRC) — also is a plaintiff.
The lawsuit seeks damages in excess of $50,000; a public retraction of alleged false statements by Gaines Holly; and permanent injunctive relief preventing her from making further defamatory statements.
The lawsuit claims that “on or about” Mar. 10, Gaines Holly published false statements about Gaffney Sr. and the CRC in campaign mailers alleging both Gaffneys were “lining” their “pockets with tax dollars instead of investing in our community.”
The lawsuit claims another “days prior to the March 21, 2023 election” makes similar false allegations.
One of the mailers in question shows both the elder and younger Gaffney side-by-side, their faces next to one another in a split screen with a caption under it saying, “like father, like son. Only in it for themselves.” It claims the two “sent hundreds of thousands of tax dollars to their own business.”
Another mailer includes the same claims, with a comparison to Gaines Holly as the candidate who...
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