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state supremes deny cookseys defamation appeal

On the 8th day of December, 2006, the following action was taken by the Supreme Court of Louisiana in the case(s) listed below:
WRIT APPLICATIONS DENIED:
2006-C -2348 JOHN C. COOKSEY v. RON W. STEWART (Parish of Ouachita)
TRAYLOR, J., would grant.

Plaintiff, former Congressman John C. Cooksey, filed a defamation action against defendant, Ron W. Stewart, his former personal accountant and former treasurer of the Cooksey for Congress Committee and the Cooksey for Senate Committee. The district court sustained defendant’s exception of no cause of action, and plaintiff appealed. For the reasons that follow, we affirm the district court’s ruling.

FACTS

In the defamation action, plaintiff alleged that on March 11, 2004, he terminated defendant’s services as his accountant. The following day, defendant sent letters to the Federal Election Commission (“the Commission”) and the Office of Public Records in which he notified both entities that he was resigning as treasurer of plaintiff’s campaign committees due to “inappropriate conduct by the candidate, John C. Cooksey.” Plaintiff alleged that the “inappropriate conduct” statement was “false, misleading and malicious” and was made “solely because plaintiff had terminated defendant’s services as his accountant.” Plaintiff further alleged that defendant’s statement caused “serious damage to his personal and business reputation.” In response, defendant filed an exception of no cause of action, asserting that plaintiff’s claim did not satisfy the elements required for a defamation action. The district court sustained the exception of no cause of action, concluding that defendant’s statement to the Commission was subject to an absolute privilege.