Republican U.S. Rep. Charles Boustany has filed a defamation lawsuit against New York City-based Simon & Schuster Inc., which recently published a book by Ethan Brown that alleges Boustany was involved with prostitutes who were killed in Jefferson Davis Parish, according to a story from Baton Rouge’s Business Report.
The author of “Murder on the Bayou: Who Killed the Women Known as the Jeff Davis 8?” is also named as a defendant in the suit, which was filed Monday in the 15th Judicial District Court in Lafayette. Boustany is a top contender in the race to replace U.S. Sen. David Vitter, who is not seeking re-election.
Citing multiple anonymous sources, the book includes a chapter that claims Boustany was involved with the prostitutes who were killed. It does not allege the congressman is involved in the slayings. Boustany and his wife have denied the claims.
“Dr. Boustany hired me to defend his integrity and the honor of his family. And that’s what I intend to do, aggressively,” reads a statement from attorney Jimmy Faircloth of Faircloth, Melton & Sobel, who is representing Boustany in the suit. “The law does not allow someone to slander another person to sell books, not even public officials. Mr. Brown either made up the story or he’s peddling political garbage that he knew or should have known is false. It’s easy to spread hateful lies about others, but it’s not easy to defend it under oath while facing the prospects of perjury. This lie will be exposed, and those responsible will be held accountable.”
Read the Business Report story here.