Nevada Supreme Court to hear Kieckhefer’s defamation lawsuit

A state senator’s defamation lawsuit against his former primary opponent will head to the Nevada Supreme Court this week.

Oral arguments in State Sen. Ben Kieckhefer’s suit will begin Wednesday afternoon before the state’s highest court in Carson City.

The Reno Republican, who represents Carson City, filed the suit against GOP challenger Gary Schmidt during the June 2014 primary race.

According to Kieckhefer, Schmidt falsely claimed in a commercial that Kieckhefer endorsed Democratic U.S. Sen. Harry Reid’s 2010 re-election bid.

A district court judge granted Kieckhefer a preliminary injunction days before the primary, ordering the commercial pulled from the air.

Schmidt countersued for more than $10,000 and appealed the ruling.

Kieckhefer defeated Schmidt in the District 16 primary race and went on to win the general election.