Political Foe Accuses Councilman of Libel
A former City Council candidate has filed a claim against the city accusing Councilman Dick Stanford of making libelous statements about him in the Azusa Gazette, a monthly newspaper that Stanford owns.
In the claim, Ron Legault alleges that Stanford in the September edition “made false, misleading, slanderous, fictitious lies and libel statements” that caused him to suffer stress and injury.
Last year, Stanford easily defeated Legault, a longtime political rival, for the council seat. Since then, Legault, 45, has filed a complaint with the Fair Political Practices Commission about Stanford’s alleged use of the Gazette during the election.
This month, Stanford, editor/publisher of the Gazette, wrote a column about Legault. Legault’s claim alleges that in the column Stanford accused him of writing other people’s letters for publication in another newspaper.
Stanford could not be reached for comment Thursday.
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