Former State Rep. Carl Trujillo/Courtesy photo

BY MAIRE O’NEILL
maire@losalamosreporter.com

Former House District 46 State Representative Carl Trujillo has filed a defamation and civil conspiracy lawsuit against Animal Protection Voters (APVNM), Laura Bonar, Jessica Johnson, Elisabeth Jennings, and Planned Parenthood/ACLU lobbyist, Julianna Koob, in the Second Judicial District Court in Bernalillo County.

The suit alleges that the defendants published and disseminated disparaging and defamatory statements about Trujillo prior to the June 2018 primary election which may have caused him to lose that election. Trujillo is seeking damages for harm caused to his reputation and family by those statements.

A news release from Trujillo released Thursday afternoon, Trujillo says Bonar, Jennings and Johnson were all employees of APV and APNM during the time their false allegations and defamatory statements took place. It states that Koob is a lobbyist for Planned Parenthood/ACLU who also caused false and defamatory live calls during Trujillo’s campaign, participated in meetings with APV and APNM employees to conspire to force Trujillo’s resignation or to force him to lose his seat, and made false and defamatory statements about Trujillo at a Continuing Legal Education conference. 

“While sexual harassment is a very serious matter, false allegations aimed at destroying the career and reputation of a good man and public servant cannot stand. It is also disturbing the voters in District 46 were intentionally manipulated by these false statements.” said Luke Ragsdale, Trujillo’s attorney. “The lawsuit speaks for itself.”

Watch for further details on the lawsuit on the Los Alamos Reporter.