Tulsa Insurer Files Defamation Lawsuit Against Former Lawmaker
A Tulsa, Okla., insurance company has filed a defamation lawsuit against former board member and state Rep. Wayne Pettigrew.
In the lawsuit, First Trinity Financial Corp. claimed that Pettigrew made false and defamatory statements about the company and its top executive, Gregg Zahn. Pettigrew resigned from the company’s board earlier this year and issued a statement that said state securities and insurance regulators should investigate the company’s leadership.
The statement also accused Zahn of sexual harassment and of engaging in illegal stock sales.
“The harm to a public company that occurs when untruthful and reckless statements like those made by Mr. Pettigrew is nearly immeasurable,” Keith Ward, an attorney for First Trinity, said in a statement. “Mr. Pettigrew was not invited to continue as a member of the board of directors earlier this year. Apparently as a result, he has taken it on himself to punish First Trinity by false accusations and innuendos.”
The lawsuit filed in Tulsa County seeks damages of at least $75,000 along with punitive damages.
Pettigrew served in the Oklahoma House of Representatives from 1994 to 2004. Last year, he ran unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination for the U.S. House seat now held by Markwayne Mullin.
Pettigrew told The Oklahoman that he hadn’t seen the lawsuit but that it appeared to be a waste of shareholder money.
“This amounts to bully tactics,” Pettigrew said. “All I released was public information.”