Roy Cooper Settles Defamation Lawsuit
North Carolina Democrat U.S. Senate candidate and former Governor Roy Cooper has agreed to pay $75,000 and issue a formal apology to a Republican rival in connection with a defamation lawsuit stemming from his initial statewide campaign.
Cooper, who had spent 14 years in the North Carolina General Assembly, aimed to become the state’s Attorney General in 2000. Given that the race was tightly contested, Cooper’s campaign—managed by consultant Morgan Jackson, who is also involved in this year’s campaign—felt it necessary to launch an aggressive attack against his opponent, Dan Boyce.
Cooper did not shy away from making unfounded claims, as noted in a deposition he gave. According to a report, he altered a draft campaign ad that initially stated Boyce demanded “$1,200 an hour” to say instead that he “charged $28,000 per hour.” The ad told voters that a judge referred to the fee as “shocking the conscience,” misleadingly suggesting it exceeded a police officer’s annual earnings. This ad was aired statewide just days before the election, and despite Boyce’s campaign urging Cooper to withdraw it, he did not comply. Ultimately, Boyce lost the election, garnering 46 percent of the vote to Cooper’s 51 percent.
In the deposition, Cooper shared how he revamped the ad, and it became clear that the claims were inaccurate and that he was aware of it. The case linked to the ad involved Dan Boyce’s father, Gene. Gene Boyce had never received the alleged fee; rather, it was a judge’s determination that was misrepresented. The case had led to a significant financial recovery for North Carolina taxpayers—more than $1 billion.
Cooper fought the lawsuit for over a decade in various courts and even sought intervention from the U.S. Supreme Court, but ultimately, as a public trial loomed in 2014, he opted to settle.
As part of the settlement, Cooper agreed to pay $75,000, cover mediator fees, and offer a written apology to the Boyces. In the apology, he acknowledged that Dan, Gene, Laura Isley, and Phillip Isley were “excellent and ethical lawyers and honorable people,” and he expressed regret for any misleading implications made in the campaign ad.
Subsequent to this, Gene Boyce pushed for an independent investigation into Cooper’s conduct, citing potential ethical concerns, noting that the North Carolina State Bar had a conflict of interest due to Cooper’s role as attorney. The State Bar ultimately dismissed Boyce’s complaint on procedural grounds rather than addressing the alleged misconduct.
Despite the controversy from this episode, the same campaign team that facilitated the contentious ads has propelled Cooper to six statewide victories and is aiming for another with his Senate campaign against Republican Michael Whatley.
