A former North Carolina town council member is seeking $200,000 in damages from North Carolina House Speaker Tim Moore on allegations that Moore had an affair with his wife that ruined their marriage.
Scott Lassiter filed the lawsuit against Moore on Sunday. Lassiter, who works as an assistant principal at Connections Academy Middle School in Wake County and served on the Apex Town Council for one term, from 2011 to 2015, is accusing Moore of having an affair with Jamie Liles Lassiter that resulted in the "destruction" of the couple's marriage.
Scott Lassiter and Moore—of Moore v. Harper, the pending Supreme Court redistricting case that involves a redrawn congressional map in North Carolina—previously crossed paths in the political realm. Both Scott Lassiter and Jamie Lassiter allegedly donated to Moore's campaigns, and all three are members of the North Carolina Republican Party, according to the lawsuit.
Scott Lassiter is accusing Moore of abusing his power as House speaker to "entice" Jamie Lassiter into having an affair, which lasted for more than three years, from 2019 to 2023. The couple separated in January after Jamie Lassiter allegedly refused to end the affair. Scott Lassiter accused Moore of engaging in the affair and using his power to convince Jamie Lassiter to "engage in degrading acts to satisfy his desires," such as group sex.
Jamie Lassiter allegedly believed that by having an affair with Moore he would act favorably toward the North Carolina Conference of Clerks of Superior Court, where she works as executive director, according to the lawsuit.
In North Carolina, state law permits an aggrieved ex-spouse to sue a person who had an affair with the other spouse, and Scott Lassiter is doing just that. There are eight claims in the lawsuit, such as criminal conversation and alienation of affection. Scott Lassiter is asking for $25,000 for each claim, for a total of $200,000.
Various exhibits are referred to throughout the lawsuit, including a December 21, 2022, photo of Moore and Jamie Lassiter taken by Scott Lassiter after he followed his wife upon hearing rumors that she was having an affair with Moore. The photo shows Moore and Jamie Lassiter leaving a Sullivan's Steakhouse and allegedly returning to Moore's Raleigh residence for several hours.
The suit says Scott Lassiter confronted his wife on December 22, 2022, and she admitted to the affair. He then confronted Moore on December 26, 2022, when Moore allegedly confirmed the affair and offered Scott Lassiter political favors.
Newsweek reached out to Moore by email for comment.
Both Jamie Lassiter and Moore vehemently deny the suit's claims, according to a report by Raleigh TV station WRAL.
Jamie Lassiter said in a statement to the station that her husband suffered from "serious mental health and substance abuse issues." She also said that she didn't have an affair with Moore, but also that she and Scott Lassiter have been separated for years.
"To be clear, I'm a strong professional woman, and the only person who has ever abused me or threatened my career was my soon to be ex-husband," Jamie Lassiter said in the statement. "Our marriage was a nightmare, and since I left him it has gotten worse. We are reaching the end of our divorce process and this is how he's lashing out."
Moore denied the claims in a statement to WRAL.
Meanwhile, Scott Lassiter's legal team is standing firm. "The complaint speaks for itself," his attorney told Newsweek in a statement. "There is irrefutable evidence to support Mr. Lassiter's claims."
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