The Belfast mother and daughter who accused a group of Waldo County residents of spreading rumors that the duo were running a brothel want to drop the lawsuit they filed two years ago.
Rose Woodford and her daughter, April Walker, filed a defamation lawsuit against eight people, including two Belfast city counselors, in 2021. Woodford and Walker claim the defendants posted comments on Facebook accusing them of running a brothel out of their Church Street home. However, the defendants have said in court filings that the Facebook messages were falsified.
The motion to dismiss was filed on Thursday by Seth Russell, the attorney for Woodford and Walker. It said they can’t move through with the case “due to numerous unrelated circumstances.”
But the defendants aren’t ready to walk away. They want their names cleared and restitution for the years of legal fees, so the defendants have filed an opposition to the motion to dismiss, said attorney Christopher MacLean, who represents them.
MacLean is hopeful the judge will deny the dismissal because the plaintiffs had “no reason” to file the motion to dismiss and that the defendants will face prejudice if the motion to dismiss is granted. And the vague reason the plaintiffs provided for wanting to drop the case could mean the plaintiffs are trying to dismiss the case because they know they will lose, MacLean said.
Russell did not respond to requests for comment.
“The plaintiffs have continued on for two years trying to get money, and it’s obvious to them now that the defendants would never pay a penny to them,” MacLean said. “And that’s why they want to drop the claim. The plaintiffs know they could never possibly prevail in court.”
