Boone County Commission candidate Chet Hand has filed a lawsuit against incumbent candidate Charlie Kenner for libel and defamation.
The lawsuit was filed in Boone County Circuit Court on Friday, May 6, and comes after Hand threatened the defamation suit against Kenner last week. The lawsuit marks an increase in tensions between the two candidates, who have lobbed attacks at each other along the campaign trail.
According to the court filing, Hand is demanding retribution for the website CheatingChet.com, where Kenner’s campaign makes claims that Hand says are misleading or completely false.
The lawsuit also names campaign mailers sent to voters that make similar claims to the website.
Hand’s attorney, John Threlkeld, communicated with Kenner on May 3, threatening legal action over the website and mailers. In the letter, Threlkeld told Kenner that it appeared the website listed on Kenner’s mailers was taken down, however it may have been a misspelling. The mailers list “cheatinchet.com” but the website Kenner’s campaign is responsible for is at the web address “cheatingchet.com.”
Thinking the website had been removed, Hand’s attorney said, “The removal of the website may reduce the damage, but it is certainly not a cure.”
He said if the website or its contents reappeared anywhere, Kenner would be held accountable. Threlkeld said the ongoing defamation trial between actors Johnny Depp and Amber Heard “may pale in comparison” to the trial that may take place between the political candidates.
Depp is suing for roughly $50 million and Heard is counter-suing for $100 million. The trial has become a national spotlight for personality disorders and domestic abuse.
Some of the accusations made on the website, which Kenner has claimed responsibility for, include that Hand is from the West Coast and will bring “West Coast values” with him. Hand’s attorney clarified that his client is from Alaska.
“Alaska, by no means, can even remotely be compared to the liberal/leftist states of California and Washington,” Threlkeld wrote.
Other claims on the website state that Hand placed signs in public right-of-ways without permission, that he opposes charter schools, and that his desire to decentralize the regional health department means he is pro-abortion. Sources for these claims listed on the site lead to pictures or screenshots as supporting evidence.
A request for comment on the lawsuit has not been returned by either candidate. With the 2022 Kentucky Primary a week away, voters have as much time to decide whether they are Team Hand or Team Kenner in the District 2 Boone County Commission race.
Read the full case filing below: