Roy Moore, the former Republican Senate candidate from Alabama, last year.CreditBrynn Anderson/Associated Press

Former Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore, a man with notoriety on multiple fronts including wanting to govern America as a theocracy, filed a lawsuit on Monday in the Circuit Court of Etowah County, Ala. where he lives with his wife Kayla, writes The New York Times.

Defendants in the suit are Leigh Corfman, Debbie Gibson, Tina Johnson and Beverly Nelson, charged with defaming and conspiring against Moore and his wife Kayla, and of committing libel and slander “by making statements which were false, malicious, and made with intentional or reckless disregard of the truth and with the intent that those statements be published to others, including through state and national media.”

“Those statements caused harm to the reputation and character of Judge Moore and also to his wife Kayla, lowered their standing in the community and discouraged members of the community from associating with them,” the lawsuit said.

The four women accused the former Senate candidate of sexual harassment and of general patterns of behavior belonging to a sexual predator. The reality is diametrically opposed to Moore's portrayal of himself -- including as chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court -- as a moral crusader, according to the women.

The Times writes that Moore "has responded with a ferocity characteristic of his long career. Before last year’s campaign, he was best known for his combative stands on social and religious issues. In 2003, he was removed as chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court after he refused to take down a monument of the Ten Commandments in the state’s judicial building. After being re-elected to the same position in 2012, he refused to enforce the United States Supreme Court’s 2015 decision legalizing same-sex marriage."

Since his defeat, Roy Moore has constantly engaged in online fundraising, seeking supporters financial help to clear his "good name" and to help in his general living expenses.

President Donald Trump campaigned aggressively for Roy Moore, in spite of the sexual allegations, for the November 2017 election in which Moore lost to Alabama Senator Doug Jones, a Democrat.

Sixty-three percent of people surveyed in a new CNN poll believe the women alleging affairs over Trump's quiet denials that they happened at all. In an interest Twist, Trump's overall approval rating rose significantly, even as people said they believe his women accusers and also that Trump's Cabinet and team of top advisers are "generally less qualified and less in touch than previous presidential appointees."

There are expected party and gender divides on both questions. Women are more inclined than men to say they believe the women claiming affairs (70% to 54%). Even among Republicans or leaning toward the Republican party, 45% of women say they believe the women compared with just 25% of GOP and GOP-leaning men. As expected, Democrats are far more likely than Republicans to say the women should be freed from their NDAs. 78% among Democrats, 49% among independents and 25% among Republicans agree. These answers also break down on gender lines, with 59% saying the women should be free to discuss what happened with trump vs 34% saying the agreements should remain in place. Men disagree with 48% saying the agreements should remain in place and 43% saying the women should be free to discuss their relationships with Trump.

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