A former GOP Florida House candidate suing blogger Jacob Engels, who has repeatedly missed hearings and deadlines in the case, is asking an Orange County judge to order Engels to explain why he shouldn’t be arrested and brought into court.
Former candidate Elizabeth Cornell, who lost in the Republican primary for a Central Florida House seat last year, is suing Engels, a Proud Boys associate and publisher of the online publication the Central Florida Post, for libel.
The website published articles accusing Cornell of carrying on an extramarital affair and preying on an elderly client in her financial advising business.
As part of the suit, Cornell and her attorney, Ricardo Reyes, seek to obtain a bevy of records and to subpoena nearly two dozen individuals, including several GOP elected officials and operatives.
Engels has repeatedly missed court hearings, including one last month where Orange County Circuit Judge James Craner granted a request from Reyes to hold Engels in contempt of court. Craner also agreed to issue a fine of $1,500 to Engels.
Now, Reyes is requesting the court to order Engels to explain why he shouldn’t be arrested, saying he is “purposefully engaging in a mockery of the judicial system” by not attending hearings and providing the documents the court has ordered him to turn over. A hearing on the matter is scheduled for Aug. 21.
Engels’ attorney resigned as his counsel in April. Engels said in a text message to the Orlando Sentinel on Wednesday he can’t afford a replacement. He said that, until recently, he had been left off the distribution list for court filings and the notice of the June hearing did not indicate his attendance was required.
“I’m certain that Judge Craner will understand these circumstances and allow me to be on equal footing now that I’ve been added to the distribution list,” Engels wrote.
Engels added that he has provided the records as required and that Reyes has asked him to “manufacture documents to fulfill opposing counsels narrative.”
“I cannot give what I do not have,” Engels said, adding that “when they allege a conspiracy and do not have the evidence, it’s improper and illegal for me to fulfill those fantasies. They brought the case and they have the burden of proof.”
Reyes couldn’t be reached for comment this week.
Cornell was a candidate last year for a Lake County House seat that was eventually won by Republican Taylor Yarkosky of Montverde.
Cornell’s suit cites two blog posts published by Engels last summer, including one where he cited claims from a lawsuit filed by one of Cornell’s former clients, who said Cornell, a financial advisor, had given her poor guidance.
That same post said Cornell had outstanding liens for work on her home completed several years ago and did not vote for Gov. Ron DeSantis or former President Donald Trump during previous Republican primaries. Another post accused Cornell of having an affair with a married man.
The suit described Engels’ posts as “clickbait” and said they contained false or misleading information. Cornell is not seeking money, but wants to clear her name and show that Engels’ blog posts were deceiving to voters, Reyes told the Sentinel earlier this year.
In addition to Engels, Cornell’s suit also lays blame on four unnamed political operatives she says “conspired with Engels to commit defamation.” Reyes said earlier this year they are hoping to establish the roles of the unnamed operatives through the discovery process.
Some of the claims Engels published were repeated in mailers sent by a committee operated by Stafford Jones, a Gainesville Republican consultant. Jones told the Sentinel earlier this year he doesn’t know Engels and has never worked with him
Engels initially fought Cornell’s attempts to subpoena Jones and others, but Reyes said during a hearing in May that Engels had agreed to drop his objections. Engels didn’t attend the hearing.
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