CAPE CORAL, Fla. -- The controversy surrounding Cape Coral's mayor is entering a new chapter. Mayor Marni Sawicki says she's considering filing a defamation lawsuit against Richard Leon, a city council-member.
The two have been been at odds ever since Leon sought an ethics complaint against Sawicki earlier this year. He believes Sawicki acted unethically by failing to report expensive gifts she received while in office.
The mayor says she has a problem with Leon's recent statements on social media, claiming they're false, and are hurting her reputation.
She made her feelings known during Monday's city council meeting. "Another one who's out there blasting me with so erroneous information. And Mr. Leon, I will tell you, if you put anything else on Facebook about me, you will get a lawsuit of defamation, because I'm tired of it and I'm tired of taking it."
Wednesday, Four in Your Corner spoke with Leon to get this thoughts on the threat. He says he stands by his recent comments, as well as his ethics complaint claiming there are serious issues that need to be addressed.
"I did go ahead and repost again on Tuesday and today, and so you know if the mayor wants to sue me, I guess that's our right as American citizens. But we also have our 1st Amendment right."
Because the mayor is a public official, in order to win a defamation lawsuit she would have to prove Leon knew his claims were false and that he acted with reckless disregard for the truth.
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