Candidate For Illinois House Sues Former Alderman For Slander
CHICAGO (STMW) -- A candidate for the Illinois General Assembly is accusing a former Chicago alderman of slandering him while stumping for another candidate at a West Side church last week.
Eddie Winters, a candidate for the Illinois House of Representatives 10th District seat, filed the suit against former Alderman Ed Smith (28th), claiming Smith referred to him as a "wife-beater" who "failed to pay child support and leaves his kids starving."
The lawsuit, filed Monday in Cook County Circuit Court, alleges that Smith made the remarks while speaking in support of another 10th District candidate, Pamela Reaves-Harris, at Mt. Vernon Baptist Church on Jan. 5, 2014.
"I stand by my statement, because the record shows it to be true," Smith said in a emailed statement. "Mr. Winters does not want the people to know his true character. The voters have the right to know who he is and his past."
A spokesman for Reaves-Harris declined to comment.
Winters, a sergeant in the Chicago Police Department, previously served as a member of the Illinois General Assembly between September 2012 and January 2013. He was chosen to complete the term of State Rep. Derrick Smith who was indicted on a federal bribery charges and expelled from the general assembly.
Derrick Smith won back his 10th District seat in the 2012 general election. The bribery case against him is pending in U.S. District Court.
The 10th District of the Illinois House includes most of Chicago's West Side and parts of other neighborhoods on the North and Northwest sides. There are currently six candidates on the ballot for the general election, which will be held on March 8.
The two-count suit alleges defamation and false light-invasion of privacy. Winters is seeking more than $100,000 in damages.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2014. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
