September 18, 2014 6:18 PM

Sen. Deuell and Texas Right to Life are set for courtroom showdown over "defamatory" advertisements

TRTL says Deuell infringed on their freedom of speech; Deuell argues radio ads were false, which is why stations took them off the air

Sen. Bob Deuell, R-Greenville, has fired back at Texas Right to Life after they slapped him with a lawsuit over advertisements that the anti-abortion group ran against one of the most pro-life legislators in Texas during his GOP primary this year.

Whether the ads were false or not, they contributed to a winning campaign for Deuell’s challenger Bob Hall, who narrowly defeated the incumbent in one of the most bitter races of the year.

The group claims that Deuell infringed on their First Amendment rights by demanding that false ads be taken down. Deuell’s attorneys have answered by asking that a judge in Houston dismiss the lawsuit as frivolous based on the state’s anti-SLAPP law.

By Scott Braddock