Attorneys for Roy Moore accuser say he ‘likely failed’ polygraph test
Attorneys for one of the women who made sexual misconduct accusations against former and current Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore (R) said in a lawsuit filing Monday that Moore “likely failed” a December 2017 polygraph test he took over the case.
Leigh Corfman’s lawyers filed the motion in Montgomery County Circuit Court as part of a larger effort to reopen the deposition Moore gave in a defamation lawsuit Corfman filed against him in 2018, according to Al.com.
{mosads}Corfman has accused Moore, a former Alabama Supreme Court chief justice, of sexually molesting her in 1979 when she was 14 and he was 32. Moore has fiercely denied the accusations, which first surfaced in his unsuccessful Senate campaign against Sen. Doug Jones (D-Ala.) in 2017.
Al.com noted that Moore took a polygraph test in conjunction with a lawsuit to stop Alabama from certifying Jones’s special election victory.
Moore, who never conceded that race, announced last month that he will seek to challenge Jones for the seat again in 2020.
He had said in a 2017 affidavit at the time that the “results of the examination reflected that I did not know, nor had I ever had sexual contact with any of these individuals,” Al.com reported.
But Corfman’s attorneys are contending that position, saying that’s not what the polygraph test revealed. They also reportedly argue in the motion that they should be able to question him further “in light of new evidence.” Moore gave a deposition regarding their lawsuit in October 2018.
“To the extent that the results of the polygraph examination administered on him are reliable, Mr. Moore likely failed,” the motion stated.
The filing reportedly said that Barry Colvert, a longtime polygraph examiner and interrogator for the FBI, agreed to review the polygraph exam Moore took.
In an affidavit that was filed as an exhibit to supplement the motion, Colvert said, “it is my expert opinion based on my review of these documents and my training and experience that this examination cannot support a conclusion of non-deception or that Mr. Moore told the truth during his polygraph examination.”
“The results indicate that Mr. Moore was being deceptive when asked the relevant questions concerning Ms. Corfman,” he added. “In particular, and as explained below, Mr. Moore exhibited consistently elevated electrodermal and cardiovascular responses following questions concerning Ms. Corfman, which would indicate that he was being deceptive in answering these questions.”
Attorneys reached an agreement in March that Corfman would give a deposition after Moore complete his, Al.com reported.
Moore dismissed the latest court filing, saying in a statement on Twitter that he did pass the polygraph tests administered to him.
He added in a statement to Al.com that the attorneys’ motion was another way of “delaying her testimony, which they have avoided thus far.”
The accuser can’t take a polygraph, can’t appear to testify, can’t answer the questions, all she has left is attack the polygrapher? 3 polygraphers say I passed! I stand by my testimony-I never knew her. Why won’t the press ask why she won’t testify? https://t.co/HRBh4hBSdf
— Judge Roy Moore (@RealJudgeMoore) July 1, 2019
“According to the deposition taken of my polygraph examiner, his findings that I was telling the truth about never knowing Ms. Corfman are backed up by two qualified examiners of this state,” he said.
Neil Roman, an attorney for Corfman, said that their motion is simply requesting the “opportunity to examine Mr. Moore concerning his assertions regarding the polygraph examination.”
In the 2017 race, Moore was hounded over allegations that he pursued sexual and romantic relationships with teenage girls in the 1970s when he was in his 30s. Moore has adamantly denied the accusations, and received support from President Trump during the campaign.
Republicans in Washington have been hostile toward Moore running again, with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) saying he plans to “vigorously” oppose the bid.
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