Lawyers for Greg Gianforte have sent Montana TV stations a letter demanding they pull a PAC-funded ad claiming the Republican gubernatorial candidate is “a millionaire from New Jersey.”
“Good Jobs Montana PAC’s advertisement is false, misleading and deceptive,” the cease and desist letter said.
Lawyers from The Bopp Law Firm in Bozeman say the ad falsely ties Gianforte, a businessman, to New Jersey, when in fact he is not from the state, nor has he lived there since 1995. Gianforte was in New Jersey during college and the early part of his career.
The same standard could just as easily be applied to Gianforte’s opponent, incumbent Gov. Steve Bullock, they said. “But more importantly, it means your station can be legally liable for disseminating such false information,” the letter said.
The ad’s statement that Gianforte sued the state Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks to eliminate access to a popular fishing spot on his property is also false, they said. While Gianforte did file against the agency in state court in 2009, he never served the FWP because the two sides came to an agreement over inaccuracies in the survey of the property, lawyers said. The lawsuit was dismissed in 2013.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfsmr2pyRKY[/embed]
