A former senior adviser to Gov. Paul LePage who was later a speech writer for President Trump has filed a lawsuit against his ex-wife claiming she defamed him and inflicted emotional distress, among other allegations, when she accused him of domestic abuse.

The lawsuit, which was filed by David Sorensen, a former Republican political consultant in Maine, seeks $4 million in damages from Jessica Corbett.

David Sorensen

Earlier this year, Corbett accused her former husband of domestic abuse, which Sorensen has vehemently denied.

“I have never been violent in any way toward any woman in my entire life,” Sorensen wrote in an email. “I am seeking justice in the venue my accuser should have chosen – the courts, not the media.”

Sorensen resigned his position as a White House speech writer on Feb. 9 after the Washington Post approached him about the domestic abuse allegations. Sorensen denied the allegations and said he resigned to avoid becoming a distraction.

In the lawsuit, Sorensen says Corbett never made any domestic allegations against him during their divorce proceedings last year, and that the “defendant’s physical abuse accusations did not arise in any forum until Defendant made them to the Washington Post in February 2018.”

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Corbett tweeted about the suit Thursday, but declined to provide further comment other than to say in an email that “obviously we dispute and deny his claims.”

Jessica Corbett

“As I’ve said multiple times, I stand by everything I said to the Washington Post and am prepared to defend the truth in court,” Corbett tweeted. “This is my only comment about the lawsuit, any other questions will be referred to my attorney.”

Corbett’s Portland-based attorney, Aaron Mosher, could not be reached for comment Thursday. Sorensen, who filed the court complaint on his own, said he will eventually retain legal counsel.

In the civil action, Sorensen says he took a polygraph examination on Feb. 23, during which he answered three questions about whether Corbett’s accusations were truthful. The examiner concluded that Sorensen showed no deception, Sorensen said in the lawsuit.

Sorensen filed the civil action in Barnstable, Massachusetts, Superior Court on April 19, according to a copy of the lawsuit provided by Corbett.


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