Former Missouri Mayor Files New Defamation Lawsuit

A southeast Missouri mayor who resigned amid a state lawmaker’s call for an investigation into allegations that he abused his position has filed a new defamation lawsuit.

The Southeast Missourian reports that former Scott City mayor Ron Cummins is suing Republican Rep. Holly Rehder, of Scott County, along with another former mayor and a person who started a recall effort. It says Rehder made “defamatory statements” about Cummins to the news media and continued doing so after the sheriff advised her that the prosecutor found “no laws had been broken.”

Cummins filed a similar lawsuit in December 2017 but dropped it in August.

Attorneys for all three defendants argued for dismissal of the original suit, saying their clients have constitutional free speech rights and didn’t act with malice.