Lawyer cites free speech in Ohio defamation suit

COLUMBUS (AP) — A lawyer who represented a Muslim-to-Christian convert says allegedly defamatory comments he’s being sued over in Ohio were protected free speech.

Florida attorney John Stemberger also said in a court filing in Columbus today that comments he made about an Ohio attorney are protected by a legal privilege.

Lawyer Omar Tarazi, a Columbus attorney, sued Stemberger for $10 million last month for damage he alleges Stemberger’s comments did to his reputation.

Tarazi represented the parents of Rifqa Bary, a Christian teenager who fled from her Columbus-area home to Florida, saying she feared harm from her Muslim mother and father.

Tarazi has also sued blogger Pamela Geller, who has been championing Bary’s case. Today, she also made a filing in which she says comments she made were protected free speech.