Joe Saunders sues to stop aunt from presenting herself as ‘Moe Saunders’

District 106 Candidate Joe Saunders sues his aunt for running against him with an alias remarkably similar to his name.

Saunders filed a complaint against Maureen Saunders-Scott For deposit as a non-party candidate in HD 106 under the name “Moe Saunders”.

“This is a blatant violation of Florida law, and the facts speak for themselves: Maureen Saunders Scott is attempting to deceive, mislead and confuse voters supporting Joe Saunders by using a false nickname on the ballot,” said Kendall Coffeylawyer for the Joe Saunders campaign.

“She did not act in good faith or with honest purpose and therefore failed to qualify as a candidate. To defend our democracy, this type of behavior must not be allowed and ‘Moe Saunders’ must not appear on the ballot this November.”

Joe Saunders, a Democrat, also sued the secretary of state Byrd cord and supervisor of elections in Miami-Dade Christine White in their official duties, in the hope of seeing Saunders Scott disqualified from the ballot.

Joe Saunders, the only Democratic candidate filed, is running in the district served by the incumbent representative. Fabien Basabe, a Miami Beach Republican. Basabé won the seat in 2022 by only 242 votes.

By running as an independent, Saunders Scott will advance to the November general election, where the name “Moe Saunders” will appear immediately under the name Joe Saunders on the ballot. The first line will go to the Republican candidate. Basabe also faces the Republicans Melinda Almonte in a Primary.

The lawsuit argues that Saunders Scott should not be licensed because of various misrepresentations on his documents, besides the use of the name “Moe Saunders.” The complaint alleges that Saunders Scott lives in St. Johns County, far from HD 106. And although state law only requires that a candidate live in the district when taking office, Saunders Scott has writes that she was a qualified voter in Miami. Dade County when she filed her paperwork and signed a candidate’s oath.

Saunders Scott pushed back against the lawsuit on social media. She claimed to have used the nickname “Moe” in the past.

“A “fake” nickname over 40 years old? She written the. “Is Joe suggesting that’s not what he’s called me his whole life?”

On her X-rated profile, Saunders Scott describes herself as a “SADISTIC SURVIVOR OF INCESTUOUS SEXUAL ABUSE ALWAYS PUNISHED FOR COMING FORWARD”. After the lawsuit was filed, she also posted: “how far my family will go to cover up sexual predators, regardless of their political affiliation! »

In the lawsuit, Saunders claims that although Saunders Scott regularly used the nickname “Mo,” she never spelled it with an “e” at the end until she ran for office. The complaint references social media posts in which Saunders Scott calls herself “Aunt Mo.” She only took the name “Moe Saunders” on social media after applying.

“This purported nickname was invented by Defendant Scott for the purpose of confusing, deceiving and misleading voters by appearing next to Plaintiff’s name on the general election ballot, with the intent to fraudulently siphon votes from “Joe Saunders” to “Moe Saunders” appearing in the same manner. »

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