Rutan sues Dispatch, Franklin GOP after losing prosecutor election
John Rutan, a lawyer who unsuccessfully ran for Franklin County prosecutor in 2024, has filed lawsuits against the county's Republican Party and The Columbus Dispatch, alleging actions by both cost him the election.
Rutan ran against Democrat Shayla Favor in November's election. Favor won the race with 63% of the vote.
In the lawsuits, which were both filed in Franklin County Common Pleas Court, Rutan separately accuses The Dispatch of defaming him in several articles and the Republican Party of improperly rescinding his endorsement. Rutan is representing himself in both lawsuits.
The lawsuit against The Dispatch involves articles that ran in early 2024 about the prosecutorial race. Those stories include coverage of a candidate forum in January 2024 and a March 2024 story involving comments Rutan sent to a reporter.
The lawsuit against the Republican Party accuses the party's leadership of pressuring him to withdraw his candidacy and when he refused, improperly rescinding its endorsement of him.
Rutan says he went to an April 2024 meeting of the Franklin County Republican Party, where he spoke prior to an agenda item related to his endorsement. Rutan accuses the party board members of cutting off his microphone before his allotted speaking time had expired and refusing to entertain a motion to table the vote.
The lawsuits accuse The Dispatch of mischaracterizing and misrepresenting what occurred at the meeting, further damaging his electoral prospects and his political career.
Rutan's lawsuits claim he has lost business opportunities because of The Dispatch's coverage.
Rutan says he was 'shunned' in the Franklin County legal community, was kicked off a softball team he had been on with other lawyers and learned on his birthday that a previously scheduled speaking engagement had been canceled. He also says in the lawsuit he has received negative online reviews of his practice.
Rutan says in the lawsuits he lost a four-year contract as county prosecutor. Rutan also says the rescinding of his endorsement took away any hopes of running for future political office. The lawsuits say Rutan had hopes of running for statewide office in 2026, possibly as attorney general, secretary of state or governor.
The Dispatch does not comment on pending litigation.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Rutan sues Dispatch, Franklin GOP after losing prosecutor election
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