Defamation case against ex-governor Deval Patrick to go forward

The Boston Globe reports:

In the waning days of his tenure, Governor Deval Patrick ousted a state official in a dispute he acknowledged was unusually personal.

The “final straw” leading him to edge out the chairwoman of the Sex Offender Registry Board, he said, was her “inappropriate” and possibly “unlawful” interference in a case involving his brother-in-law.

Now Patrick, who left office 16 months ago, is being sued for defamation for those very comments — and he’s arguing that, because he was speaking as governor, he should be protected from such claims.

In an unusual if not unprecedented case, Patrick’s lawyers have claimed in Essex Superior Court that the suit should be dismissed because the allegedly defamatory statements were made “while he was acting within the scope of his official duties.”

The judge isn’t buying it.

In a strongly worded decision, Superior Court Judge Richard Welch II denied Patrick’s motion to dismiss the case in March.

Couldn't happen to a nicer guy. An article , well worth your time.