Candidate says he will sue over ‘slanderous statement’

Kelsey Volkmann, The Examiner
2006-09-11 09:00:00.0
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Carroll County -

A challenger in the race for Carroll County commissioner said he plans to sue a local publication, alleging defamation.

“Just because I got convicted of second-degree assault doesn’t make me a wife-beater,” said C. Eric Bouchat, a Republican from Woodbine. “That’s a very slanderous statement.”

The Carroll Standard, an online publication that distributed its first print edition last week to nearly 65,000 homes and businesses, asked in that edition, “Is a candidate a convicted wife-beater, such as Christopher Eric Bouchat, who also shows up with financial judgments?”

Marcel J. van Rossum, the publisher of the Standard — a self-described “conservative countywide newsmagazine” — said Bouchat can go ahead and sue.

“His history is a matter of public record,” van Rossum said Sunday.

“He’s a candidate. He put himself out into the public arena, so he has to carry that baggage. He can sue all he wants.”

The Examiner reported July 21 that Bouchat was convicted of second-degree assault in 1997 during a domestic dispute, according to court records.

Bouchat said he was not suing for financial gain, but for a chance at a retraction.

“I’d be happy to sue him for $1 and legal fees,” he said. “It’s the principle of the matter.”

Bouchat’s attorney Crystal Barnetta could not be reached for comment. Van Rossum said the court records show it all.

“He is convicted for assault and abuse on his wife, so however he wants to handle that,” he said.

“It’s almost not even worthy for comment.”

Van Rossum said the Standard, which has featured pro-challenger and anti-incumbent opinion pieces the past few months, launched after the 2002 elections and has appeared in an online version off and on ever since. He said residents can expect to see the printed edition delivered every month from now on. Van Rossum said that while paid advertising defrays some of the costs, he pays for the Standard, which costs $20,000 a month to print.

kvolkmann@baltimoreexaminer.com