Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. arrives at the Albany County Courthouse, Monday, Aug. 5, 2024, in Albany, N.Y. AP Photo/Hans Pennink
Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. appeared in a New York court Monday to fight a lawsuit alleging he falsely claimed to live in New York as he sought to get on the ballot in the state.
Kennedy sat at his attorneys’ table, occasionally jotting down notes, as the civil trial began in the state capital of Albany. Under state election law, a judge is set to decide the case without a jury.
The lawsuit alleges that Kennedy’s nominating petition falsely said his residence was in New York’s northern suburbs while he actually has lived in Los Angeles since 2014, when he married “Curb Your Enthusiasm” actor Cheryl Hines.
The suit seeks to invalidate his petition. The case was brought by Clear Choice PAC, a super PAC led by supporters of Democratic President Joe Biden.
The first witness Monday was David Michaelis, a longtime friend who testified that he used to regularly have Kennedy over as a guest from 2014 through 2017 to his home in Westchester County, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) north of midtown Manhattan. Michaelis was handed a court document in which Kennedy said his “friend and landlord” Michaelis requested that he move out of that house in March 2023 since he was a Biden supporter.
Michaelis called that statement “a fiction” and said Kennedy was never his house tenant. He said he last saw Kennedy in Los Angeles around 2019.
Kennedy declined to comment during a court break but said he would speak to reporters after court was done for the day.
Kennedy has the potential to do better than any independent presidential candidate in decades, having gained traction with a famous name and a loyal base. Strategists from both major parties worry that he could win enough votes to tip the election.
His campaign has said he has enough signatures to qualify in 42 states, so…
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