A defamation lawsuit between two opponents in one of San Diego County\u2019s fiercest school board races has drawn to a close, at least for now \u2014 more than 18 months after the unusually expensive election was decided.<\/p>\n
On Friday, a San Diego County Superior Court judge dismissed the complaint that Democratic political consultant Kevin Sabellico had filed against Michael Allman, the polarizing<\/a> incumbent he challenged in 2024 for his seat on the San Dieguito Union High School District board.<\/p>\n The lawsuit, filed last fall, emerged from a series of campaign advertisements that Sabellico said Allman ran on Facebook. State regulators investigated<\/a> the ads for possible campaign violations and later issued a warning<\/a>.<\/p>\n Speaking to local media at the time, Allman denied the ads were his, accusing his opponent of lying and suggesting evidence submitted to regulators had been faked. Sabellico sued him for libel, arguing those comments were malicious and defamatory.<\/p>\n Allman praised the ruling, saying it \u201creaffirms that candidates for public office should be free from litigation abuse when exercising their right to free speech.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis case cost real money and was a waste of time,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n Sabellico said he plans to appeal.<\/p>\n \u201cMichael Allman accused me of a very serious crime, a crime that would have ended my career in politics and my career in law if it were true,\u201d he said. \u201cThis was a very heated campaign, but somewhere along the way, Michael Allman crossed the line into accusing me of this crime \u2014 and I think he needs to be held accountable.\u201d<\/p>\n The ruling is the latest in ongoing fallout from the county\u2019s most expensive and politically focused school board race of 2024<\/a> \u2014 one in which Sabellico raised more than $100,000 and Allman more than $50,000.<\/p>\n Sabellico had characterized his campaign as one opposing extremism, while Allman billed his as focused on improving academics and transparency.<\/p>\n That year, the Fair Political Practices Campaign opened an investigation into Allman in response to two complaints by a man named Bob Ayers alleging violations of disclaimer rules and campaign reporting rules.<\/p>\n Allman was\u00a0eventually given a warning letter<\/a>, but the regulator had not yet made a decision when media outlets including The San Diego Union-Tribune<\/a> wrote about it.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is truly dispiriting that they would stoop so low as to doctor evidence presented to a government regulatory body to gain a political advantage,\u201d he said in an Oct. 2, 2024, article<\/a>, going on to accuse his then-opponent of \u201ca long history of lying.\u201d<\/p>\n