Attorney Jennifer Vanasdale detailed her allegations against District Attorney Richard Goldinger, Slippery Rock Mayor Jondavid Longo and two others in an amended suit claiming they defamed her to help Goldinger defeat her in last year’s election.

Vanasdale filed the amended suit Monday, April 15, after Senior Judge Christopher St. John of Mercer County ordered her to do so in a February hearing held to hear objections filed by the defendants. St. John also overruled Longo’s immunity defense without prejudice and said he may refile it after Vanasdale files her amended complaint, if it provides a better basis for his argument. As of Monday, April 22, Longo had not refiled that defense.

Justin Castilyn, of Saxonburg, and Cheryl Guenther, of Prospect, are the two other defendants in the suit.

Vanasdale’s suit includes three counts of defamation and one count of casting her in a “false light” before the public against all four defendants.

Vanasdale ran as an independent candidate against Goldinger in the general election in November, where Goldinger was reelected.

The amended complaint claims Goldinger published a “recusal letter” saying Vanasdale never appeared in criminal court, never tried a criminal case, is unable to practice in front of any sitting county judges, every Common Pleas Court judge recused themselves from any case in which Vanasdale and her law firm are involved, and visiting judges would have to hear every criminal proceeding at an enormous cost to taxpayers if she were elected.

The letter was published to multiple places, including on Goldinger’s personal and campaign social media pages, according to the complaint.

Goldinger published a 2019 lawsuit, which Vanasdale claims Castilyn filed under the false name Eric Bell, alleging she sexually assaulted Bell as payment for legal services she provided. She claims in the amended complaint the 2019 suit was traced to Castilyn through a “confidential” mailing address linked to him.

Goldinger shared that suit to Guenther and Longo, according to the complaint. Vanasdale said she never was served with the suit, which was terminated in 2022 in Allegheny County due to a lack of activity for two years.

She argues Goldinger published those “defamatory communications” knowing they were false or with careless disregard to their truthfulness; and those communications impaired her reputation and caused humiliation, mental anguish and lost wages and benefits from losing the election.

The lawsuit alleges Castilyn published the 2019 lawsuit and recusal letter on the Butler News social media page.

He also published comments including those claiming Vanasdale had never practiced criminal law, no judges could hear her cases and that she sealed lawsuits for stealing money from estates, according to the suit.

Vanasdale’s lawsuit goes on to claim Castilyn published defamatory statements saying a sealed 2011 lawsuit was settled by paying $40,000 and $62,000 to the plaintiff and Vanasdale paid $50,000 in legal costs.

In the 2011 suit, Vanasdale was named as an additional defendant in the suit against a former client relating to legal action she handled for the client. The suit was discontinued by the plaintiffs without any payment from Vanasdale or her law firm, according to Vanasdale’s amended complaint.

In addition, she said the 2011 suit filed in Butler County was sealed due in part to the wealth and holdings of one of the parties. The 2011 suit has since been unsealed.

Vanasdale’s suit claims Guenther gave a copy of the 2019 lawsuit to a member of U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly’s staff, and published a statement saying she can’t present cases before any elected county judge and taxpayers have to pay for an outside judge each time she or her law firm has a case in the county.

Vanasdale’s lawsuit claims Longo published the recusal letter on his social media page.

Castilyn said the allegations are false. Goldinger and Guenther’s attorney Jennifer Pullar declined to comment. Longo had not returned calls seeking reaction to the amended suit by late Monday. None have filed responses in court.

Vanasdale is seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages from each defendant and a jury trial.