RALEIGH – A detailed lawsuit filed by a former Apex City Councilman claims that North Carolina House Speaker Tim Moore (R-Cleveland County) began an affair with his wife and engaged in group sex with other people seeking political favor.
Scott Riley Lassiter sued Moore and an unnamed defendant John Doe for multiple claims, including alienation of feelings and civil conspiracy.
Channel 9 obtained court documents, which say Moore “used his position as Speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives to initiate contact and develop a personal relationship with Mrs. Lassiter, despite knowing that she is married to the Plaintiff.”
The suit says Lassiter’s spouse works in state government, and has known the Republican Speaker for years. Jamie Liles Lassiter is currently the executive director of the North Carolina Conference of Clerks of Superior Court.
The lawsuit says Lassiter heard rumors that his wife was having an affair with Moore. On December 21, 2022, Lassiter spied on his wife after she said she was going to see a movie with a friend, and he found her going to dinner with Moore at a steakhouse in Raleigh. Court documents say Lassiter found that his wife and Moore went to Moore’s home in Raleigh and spent hours together. Lassiter said he believed Moore and his wife were having sex.
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The lawsuit includes a picture of Mrs. Lassiter and Moore outside a Raleigh steakhouse.
According to the lawsuit, Lassiter’s wife allegedly confessed to the extramarital affair when she was confronted in the early morning of December 22.
The lawsuit alleges that Lassiter’s wife admitted to having an affair for three years, and that “she engaged in sexual intercourse with Defendant Tim Moore (including group sex with other individuals who sought Tim Moore’s political favors ), and that he is afraid to end the relationship with [Moore] will result in the loss of his job.”
Court documents say Lassiter then asked to speak with Moore to confront him about the affair. On December 26, Lassiter met with Moore at Biscuitville in Raleigh, and Moore admitted to having had a years-long affair with Mrs. Lassiter. According to the lawsuit, Moore asked Lassiter at the end of the meeting, “if there is anything he can do for the Plaintiff, meaning he can use the power he holds as Speaker in a way to benefit the Plaintiff.”
According to the lawsuit, the Lassiters tried therapeutic counseling but ultimately decided to separate because Mrs. Lassiter could not end his relationship with Moore.
The lawsuit also claims that an unnamed person placed a camera on Lassiter’s property to record video. Lassiter claimed that “Moore, in person or through an agent authorized to act on his behalf, requested that Defendant John Doe unlawfully enter the [Lassiter’s] real property and install a motion-activated camera … to capture photos and videos of [Lassiter] that [Moore] can be used to persuade [Lassiter] without pursuing any valid legal claim against him.”
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Channel 9 reached out to Moore’s office for a comment on the case, but we have not yet received a response.
Moore’s attorney sent a statement to WRAL in Raleigh, saying the claims are false.
“I look forward to meeting Mr. Lassiter in court. We are confident that the Speaker will be vindicated,” Moore’s attorney told WRAL.
Lassiter’s wife also sent a statement to WRAL, saying Moore was not to blame.
“The claims are not only false but impossible because we have been separated with a signed separation document for years,” he told WRAL. “Our marriage was a nightmare, and since I left him it’s only gotten worse. We are nearing the end of our divorce process and this is how he fights.
Lassiter is suing for more than $200,000 in damages.
This is a developing story, check back for updates.
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