Oregon Tax Activist Says Opponents Lied About Him

BRAD CAIN

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Oregon anti-tax activist Bill Sizemore is suing teacher unions and other opponents, saying they made false statements about him during the 2008 election, including calling him a racketeer.

Marion County Circuit Judge Joseph Guimond on Tuesday heard arguments in the lawsuit filed by Sizemore, who is the author of dozens of ballot measures over the years.

The lawsuit says the unions' campaign mailings labeled Sizemore as a convicted racketeer, implying a criminal conviction. Sizemore says that's a false way of describing a 2002 jury award in a racketeering lawsuit against his former political action committee.

Union lawyers argued that the campaign materials are protected speech, and that the jury in 2002 decided Sizemore was at the center of an alleged illegal enterprise using forged signatures to qualify measures for the ballot.

Sizemore's lawsuit is the latest volley in a long-running battle between him and unions representing teachers and other public employees. Over the years, many of Sizemore's measures have sought to limit government and taxes and curb the power of public employee unions.