Two veterans organizations have found themselves facing off in a defamation lawsuit.
The Indiana Star reported that the Wounded Warrior Project, a national nonprofit that empowers returning servicemembers, filed a lawsuit with a U.S. District Court last week, claiming that the organization was publicly defamed by Dean Graham. The Indiana resident and Army veteran runs the local veterans organization Help Indiana Vets Inc. with his wife, Patricia, who is also an Army veteran, according to the nonprofit's website.
In the lawsuit, lawyers for the Wounded Warrior Project claim that Graham called the organization "a fraud … that needs to be investigated immediately" in a post published on the Help Indiana Vets website. The news source stated that the lawsuit also alleges that Graham emailed major broadcast news outlets, including CNN and Fox News, with attacks on the Wounded Warrior Project. The Help Indiana Vets founder also reportedly sent similar messages to government departments at both the state and federal level.
A recent post on the Help Indiana Vets website outlines the Wounded Warrior Project's alleged "fraudulent behavior," claiming that the nonprofit exploits veterans through its TV ads.
According to the nonprofit's website, Help Indiana Vets gives 100 percent of its donations directly to veterans.