The Republican strategist who sued Conservative Political Action Conference Chair Matt Schlapp and his wife Mercedes Schlapp on charges of sexual assault and defamation has abandoned his lawsuits, according to attorneys for both parties.
“I’m dropping all of my lawsuits. The assertions made in my lawsuits were the result of a complete misunderstanding, and I apologize that the case caused grief to the Schlapp family,” Carlton Huffman said in a statement sent by Schlapp’s spokeswoman on Tuesday.
Huffman, a former staff member of Republican Herschel Walker’s Georgia Senate campaign, sued the Schlapps early last year, alleging Matt Schlapp was “aggressively fondling” his groin while driving back from a restaurant to a hotel after a campaign visit in October 2022.
The lawsuit sought $9.4 million against the couple for a crime of sexual battery against Matt Schlapp, a claim of defamation against the couple, and a case of conspiracy against the couple for allegedly attempting to discredit Huffman.
Matt Schlapp is also the chairman of the American Conservative Union (ACU). Mercedes Schlapp was a former Trump administration staffer.
When asked to confirm Huffman’s claims, his lawyer, Timothy Hyland, informed The Hill that “the parties have resolved their differences.” “The Schlapps informed me that the statements made about me were the product of a misunderstanding, which was terrible. “Neither the Schlapps nor the ACU paid me anything to dismiss my claims against them,” Huffman stated.
Matt Schlapp and his attorney, Ben Chew, took a swipe at what Chew called a “certain agenda-driven media” that sought to harm conservatives.
“In my 35 years of practicing law, I have never seen such a case of malicious piling on by non-parties as that which Matt and Mercedes Schlapp suffered,” Chew said in a statement to The Hill.
“We believe it ran the gamut from selective leaks from non-party insiders with chips on their shoulders to others who did not prove worthy of the Schlapps’ trust, and of course, certain agenda-driven media who appeared all too eager to destroy conservatives like the Schlapps.”
Matt Schlapp stated that his family was “attacked” by the “left-wing media” but has emerged “stronger.” “Increasingly, they [the left] have gained a stranglehold on the mainstream media, social media, and the legal system which they use to try to silence, shame and bankrupt Americans who have contrary, yet correct viewpoints,” Schlapp said in a press release.
“Going forward, our eyes are wide open, we understand the struggle better and we learned we must stand our ground and fight or else the haters on the left will destroy every conservative and ultimately our nation.”
Huffman’s lawyer also stated that his client had abandoned a defamation complaint against Republican activist Caroline Wren, who was accused of abusing Huffman on social media after the allegations against Schlapp were made public.