Manchester Mayor Ted Gatsas is suing a former alderman and a critic, saying he was defamed by their accusations that he covered up a sexual assault at a high school.
The lawsuit in Hillsborough County Superior Court targets former Alderman William Cashin and critic Jon Hopwood, who wrote to aldermen accusing Gatsas of "engineering a cover-up."
WMUR reports that the lawsuit says the men "knowingly made false allegations."
The letter claimed Gatsas tried to cover up the sexual assault in 2015 because it occurred weeks before the election. Hopman didn't immediately return a message Wednesday. Cashin declined to comment because he hadn't seen the suit.
Last month, Bryan Wilson, of Manchester, was sentenced to 10 to 20 years for raping a 14-year-old girl. He was 17 at the time.
