Tallahassee City Commission candidate Dot Inman-Johnson has filed a defamation lawsuit against Tallahassee United, a political committee supporting candidates running against the city commission progressive slate of candidates, alleging that campaign mailers falsely accused her of accepting cash in exchange for votes.
Tallahassee United says the mailer included a statement that was wrong and unintentional. The group issued a correction.
The lawsuit adds another controversy to the increasingly contentious Seat 5 race. Earlier this month, Inman-Johnson’s campaign withdrew a radio advertisement that used the term “Negroes” while alleging that wealthy developers controlled Black elected officials, including Williams-Cox.
The Lawsuit
The lawsuit names Tallahassee United and two of its officials, Aeon West and Remera Jones-Haynes, as defendants. Inman-Johnson is seeking unspecified damages.
The controversy centers on a mailer claiming Inman-Johnson was “caught accepting cash for votes.” The advertisement cited a 1990 Tallahassee Democrat article concerning a 1988 city land transaction.
The original article reported allegations involving a payment received by former County Commissioner Jim Crews, who later married Inman-Johnson. Crews received the payment in connection with a land sale he negotiated while working for the Trust for Public Land.
Inman-Johnson voted to approve the transaction. However, the individual making the allegations at the time acknowledged having no proof of wrongdoing.
Inman-Johnson’s attorneys argue the mailer falsely portrayed her as having committed a felony.
Following a cease-and-desist letter, Tallahassee United distributed a new mailer stating “Sorry, Dot!” and acknowledging that the original newspaper article did not establish that she accepted cash for votes.
The committee said the mailer language related to the “cash for votes” statement was unintentional and maintained its other criticisms of Inman-Johnson were valid. Those criticisms included a law enforcement investigation into the use of a city credit card.
Attorney Adam Fetterman, representing Tallahassee United, characterized the lawsuit as a political publicity stunt and said the committee would vigorously defend itself.
At an October 26 news conference, Inman-Johnson reiterated her allegations and criticized the campaign attacks.
Voters will decide the contest November 3.
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