Broward-Palm Beach Haitian-American Congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick has taken legal action against her 26-year-old primary challenger, Elijah Manley, filing a $1 million defamation lawsuit over statements and videos he posted online.
The lawsuit, filed last Wednesday in Broward County Circuit Court, claims Manley’s Instagram videos and public statements falsely suggested Cherfilus-McCormick engaged in misconduct. According to the complaint, the posts and videos constitute “a pattern of making false and defamatory statements,” causing reputational harm and emotional distress to the congresswoman.
Cherfilus-McCormick, 46, alleges Manley “stalked and cyberbullied” her on social media and seeks a court order to prevent further attacks, in addition to monetary damages. Among the posts cited in the lawsuit are statements where Manley said, “You can’t fight corruption with more corruption — or with representatives who are themselves under investigation for serious ethical violations,” which Cherfilus-McCormick claims refers to her.
The complaint also cites a letter to the editor Manley published in the South Florida Sun Sentinel, which she claims defamed her by alleging she steered taxpayer dollars to a for-profit company supporting her campaign, in violation of House rules and federal law.
Manley’s campaign dismissed the lawsuit as “frivolous” and accused Cherfilus-McCormick of attempting to distract voters from a “serious corruption investigation against her.” Within hours of the filing, Manley’s team used the lawsuit to rally supporters with a fundraising appeal, with Manley saying, “While this isn’t what I expected to have to deal with when I woke up, my team and I are proud to have hit a nerve.”
The legal battle comes as Cherfilus-McCormick and Manley compete for the Democratic nomination in Florida’s 20th Congressional District, one of the most Democratic-leaning districts in the state. The Cook Political Report rates the district as D+22, making the winner of the August 2026 primary highly likely to prevail in the November general election.
The case is the latest example of elected officials using defamation lawsuits to address political disputes outside the traditional court of public opinion, a trend that lawyers say is becoming more common in contentious races.
