Issa must pay challenger $45K in legal expenses

SAN DIEGO — A California judge ordered U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa to pay his opponent in last year’s election more than $45,000 for legal expenses after the congressman sued his challenger for defamation over attack ads.

Issa, a San Diego-area Republican, filed a lawsuit in November claiming Democrat Doug Applegate’s television commercials hurt his reputation.

The judge in March said Issa did not prove his case. The judge also agreed with Applegate’s argument that he was exercising free speech rights with the ads and that the lawsuit was an attempt to silence criticism.

The judge has ordered Issa to reimburse Applegate, his campaign and campaign manager Robert Dempsey. According to the June decision, Issa must pay $42,500 in attorney fees and $2,842 in other legal costs the paid by the defendants incurred while fighting Issa’ lawsuit.

Issa’s attorney, Chuck Bell, told the Union-Tribune newspaper Tuesday that he is appealing the decision disagrees with some of the judge’s rulings — including a determination that the ads based on newspaper articles were true.

The defendants initially asked the court to order Issa to give them $138,188 to pay their attorneys. But after Issa appealed in May, Superior Court Judge Richard Strauss said that some of Applegate’s lawyers’ work was excessive and that the court would not order full payment.