Sen. Slama files countersuit against Herbster

LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) - The attorney for Nebraska State Sen. Julie Slama announced Monday that they’ve filed an answer and counterclaim aimed to refute Republican gubernatorial candidate Charles Herbster’s defamation lawsuit and claims damages for sexual battery.

On Friday, Herbster filed a lawsuit in Johnson County to “restore Charles Herbster’s good name and reputation and to oppose the false claims made against him,” a news released stated.

The Nebraska Examiner first reported the stories of eight women, including Slama, who say Herbster groped them at public events. Slama, in a statement, confirmed that as she walked by Herbster at a political event in 2019, he reached up her skirt, without her consent, and touched her inappropriately. The incident reportedly happened in the middle of a crowded ballroom at the Douglas County Republican Party’s annual Elephant Remembers dinner. The other women accusing Herbster chose to remain anonymous but the Nebraska Examiner reported they corroborated six of the women’s accounts with at least one witness to each incident.

Below is a statement from Slama’s attorney.

We have received and reviewed the lawsuit filed by Herbster against Senator Slama in the District Court of Johnson County, Nebraska. Although Herbster has stopped short of actually serving this lawsuit, and although it is defective in key respects, Senator Slama today filed an answer and counterclaim that refutes Herbster’s false allegations against her and claims damages for the sexual battery she suffered. Simultaneously, we have served notice to take Herbster’s videotaped deposition next Friday, May 6th, at the Johnson County Courthouse. These steps will immediately preserve Senator Slama’s legal rights and guarantee that Herbster’s pending lawsuit against her includes her response and counterclaim.
We will not permit Charles Herbster to file a frivolous, bad faith lawsuit that purports to cast doubt on Senator Slama’s account of her sexual assault, use his national media megaphone to herald the existence of that lawsuit for his own gain, but then take no steps to actually serve it and subject himself to the legal accountability such service would trigger.
We will show this lawsuit for what it is: a frivolous and bad faith attempt to bully a sexual assault victim into silence. Charles Herbster chose to subject himself to Nebraska’s judicial system, and Senator Slama will hold him to that choice.
Dave Lopez, litigation counsel for Senator Julie Slama