Jack Ciattarelli, a Republican running for New Jersey governor, plans to sue his opponent, Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill, over claims she made during their debate Wednesday, his campaign says. 

Ciattarelli’s campaign said in a press release that he is going to sue Sherrill “personally for defamation following what members of the press labeled an ‘inflammatory and irresponsible allegation’ specific to Ciattarelli’s business career.” 

The statement includes a link to an opinion article in the New Jersey Monitor, a digital news website.

In the press release, Ciattarelli strategist Chris Russell says Sherrill twice claimed, “that Jack Ciattarelli ‘killed tens of thousands of people, including children’, a clearly defamatory attack that shocked the moderators, press, and public alike. In a time where political violence and violent rhetoric are becoming all too prevalent, Mikie Sherrill baselessly and recklessly accusing a political opponent of mass murder in a televised debate crosses the line.”

In a statement, Sherrill’s campaign communications director Sean Higgins said:

“Jack’s reaction is to hide behind a lawsuit, not to take responsibility. What’s reckless and irresponsible is Jack Ciattarelli making millions of dollars profiting off the pain of New Jerseyans — publishing misinformation about the dangers of opioid addiction and developing an app to coach patients to ask doctors for more drugs. As he was making millions, the Big Pharma companies made billions, and tens of thousands of New Jerseyans died. He is clearly unfit to lead and protect this state, and owes the people of New Jersey answers.”

The Ciattarelli campaign says it expects the lawsuit to be filed in court early next week. 

During the debate, Sherrill referenced reports on NJ.com that a medical publishing company owned by Ciattarelli received millions of dollars in grants from pharmaceutical companies to publish content promoting the use of opioids. Ciattarelli sold the company in 2017.