JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A legal dispute between former Congresswoman Corrine Brown and State Rep. Angie Nixon came to a conclusion Friday morning with an agreement to stop the distribution of “fraudulent” quick-pick voter guides.
Brown was seeking a temporary injunction ordering Nixon’s campaign to stop putting out quick picks falsely attributed to Brown. Nixon denies that she or her campaign was involved in putting out the “fraudulent” voter guides.
Friday, the court issued a temporary injunction against the defendants without making a finding that they were involved in these false quick picks.
Nixon’s attorney at first objected to this idea, which was suggested by Judge Bruce Anderson, saying it would send the wrong message because her client never was involved with issuing the false quick picks.
But after a brief discussion with her attorney, Nixon agreed.
She did not want to comment after the hearing, but Brown said it was a good outcome. She said wanted to put an end to false quick picks, especially with a general election coming up that will have amendments on the ballot.
The temporary injunction runs until Nov. 5, with the court also issuing a $500 bond.
Brown held a news conference Monday to announce that she filed a complaint for injunctive relief against Nixon’s campaign after accusing her of disseminating fraudulent “quick-pick” voter guides in Duval County. That lawsuit had called for the distribution of the fake voter guides to stop immediately.
“You can vote for whoever you want to, but if you want my quick picks, you should be confident that they are my picks,” Brown said during a news conference Friday after reaching an agreement with Nixon’s attorneys.
For years, Brown said, she has vetted candidates and then placed those she found most qualified on her “Quick Pick” list. This time, Brown claimed, Nixon falsified Brown’s list to reflect Brown’s endorsement of candidates.
Nixon said neither she nor her campaign authorized the “fraudulent” quick-pick guide.
“The fraudulent guides mislead voters by attributing Brown’s endorsement to candidates the Congresswoman never endorsed; indeed, in some instances, the fake voter guides state that Brown endorsed the candidate whom she actually opposes,” a Brown spokesperson said in a news release.
The Complaint for Injunctive Relief against Nixon and Step To Success LLC included three counts of violating Florida law: making false or malicious statements, campaigning with false information, and misrepresenting the identity or source of a political advertisement.
“Our Democratic process is fundamentally rooted in truth in advertising,” said Brown. “You can’t say I endorse Angie Nixon when in fact I strongly endorse Brenda A. Priestly Jackson to be our next state representative. That’s not just wrong, it’s illegal -- and Angie Nixon knows it. I condemn her political dirty tricks and am going to bring the full force of the law down on Angie Nixon to make her stop.”
Nixon told News4JAX Monday that her campaign had nothing to do with the fake guide.
“I am so disappointed. This is just so embarrassing. Every two years some rumors come out about me and what I have been doing, what I have not done. It is just very unfortunate. The fact remains that my campaign did not authorize the distribution of any illegal quicks picks or whatever,” Nixon said. “I do not have time for that. It is very unfortunate and also AG was saying that there were some fake quick picks that came out last year as well. The fact that I am the one that is targeted is just ridiculous.”
Nixon pointed fingers at one of the women at the news conference, candidate and State Rep. Kimberly Daniels.
“I mean, I defeated Kim Daniels four years ago,” Nixon said. “I guarantee that has something to do with it.”
After reaching an agreement on Friday, Daniels said she was happy they were able to come to a resolution.
“All we wanted was a cease and desist, and that’s what we got, and we are happy with that,” Daniels said. “We can move on and have a fair campaign.”
Brown said a status conference was scheduled for November to ensure there was no further distribution of the fraudulent voter guides.
“If you want to put your face on your guide, that’s fine. But don’t use my image, don’t use my name, and that was my concern,” Brown said.