North Carolina
North Carolina state House speaker sued for damages over alleged affair with local official’s wife
![North Carolina state House speaker sued for damages over alleged affair with local official’s wife North Carolina state House speaker sued for damages over alleged affair with local official’s wife](https://d3i6fh83elv35t.cloudfront.net/static/2023/06/GettyImages-1245440169-1024x683.jpg)
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina’s state House speaker is being sued by a local elected official who alleges the powerful Republican ruined his marriage by having an affair with his wife.
Lawyers for Scott Lassiter claim that for more than three years Speaker Tim Moore “willfully interfered in the marital relationship” between Lassiter and his wife, who leads an agency within the state courts system.
Moore has rejected Lassiter’s claims. Moore, who has been elected to five terms in the job since 2015, is the state’s longest serving House speaker.
Lassiter wants at least $200,000 in compensatory and punitive damages against Moore and another unidentified man whom Lassiter said conspired with Moore in recent weeks to install a camera outside Lassiter’s suburban Raleigh home.
Moore “used his position as one of the most powerful elected officials in North Carolina to entice Plaintiff’s wife … to participate in an illicit relationship with him,” according to the lawsuit filed over the weekend in Wake County Superior Court.
Lassiter’ lawsuit alleges that his wife, Jamie Liles Lassiter, wouldn’t end her relationship with Moore for fear of losing her job — leading to their separation in January after more than nine years of marriage.
READ MORE: North Carolina Democrat switches parties, giving GOP veto-proof control in legislature
In a statement, Moore said it was “a baseless lawsuit from a troubled individual. We will vigorously defend this action and pursue all available legal remedies.”
Jamie Lassiter is executive director of the North Carolina Conference of Clerks of Superior Court. She called the lawsuit “outrageous and defamatory” and said her husband is “lashing out” at the end of their divorce proceedings.
“The claims are not only false but impossible as we’ve been separated with a signed separation document for years,” she said in a news release from her attorney. “I’m a strong professional woman, and the only person who has ever abused me or threatened my career was my soon to be ex-husband.”
North Carolina is one of a handful of states that still allow lawsuits by jilted spouses seeking damages from a cheating spouse’s lover under claims of alienation of affection and criminal conversation — also known as adultery. These and other claims are in Lassiter’s lawsuit, which alleged Moore “willfully pursued a sexual relationship” and “with reckless disregard of the destruction he was causing” to the marriage.
Lassiter, an assistant principal in the Wake County school system, is a former Apex town council member and current elected member of the little-known county soil and water conservation board. The Republican ran briefly for a state House seat last year before he suspended his campaign when districts were redrawn.
“The complaint speaks for itself,” Lassiter attorney Alicia Jurney wrote in an email Monday in response to comments from Lassiter’s wife and Moore’s attorney. “There is irrefutable evidence to support Mr. Lassiter’s claims.”
According to the lawsuit, Lassiter conducted surveillance in December of his wife and obtained evidence of her and Moore having dinner in Raleigh and spending several hours together.
The lawsuit says his wife confessed to the affair, and a few days later Moore admitted to the relationship when he and Lassiter met at a Raleigh breakfast eatery. The Lassiters separated a couple of weeks later, the lawsuit says.
The N.C. Conference of Clerks of Superior Court is designed to help the elected clerks in all 100 counties carry out their duties.
Moore, who is divorced with two adult sons, is himself a lawyer and has represented a region just west of Charlotte for 20 years. He wasn’t at the dais on the House floor when the chamber held an administrative session Tuesday morning. Floor votes are expected Wednesday. The General Assembly is in the anticipated final weeks of its chief annual work session.
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North Carolina
Alabama man on work trip stops to buy $3 quick pick Powerball ticket, wins 6-figure jackpot
![Alabama man on work trip stops to buy quick pick Powerball ticket, wins 6-figure jackpot Alabama man on work trip stops to buy quick pick Powerball ticket, wins 6-figure jackpot](https://www.gannett-cdn.com/authoring/authoring-images/2024/08/02/USAT/74654762007-screenshot-15.png?auto=webp&crop=1164,656,x0,y114&format=pjpg&width=1200)
Christopher Baker of Leesburg, Alabama was on a work trip in Hickory, North Carolina, when he thought he’d try his luck on a lotto game. It turned out to be a lucrative Powerball win.
An Alabama man on a work trip in North Carolina bought a $3 Quick Pick Powerball ticket on a whim and walked away with a six-figure windfall.
Christopher Baker of Leesburg in northeastern Alabama bought his lucky ticket in July in Hickory, North Carolina, where had been traveling for work, according to Powerball.
When the numbers were drawn, Baker says he had to do a double-take when he realized he had a $100,000 winning ticket. He had matched four white balls and the red Powerball, which would have been $50,000, but a 2X multiplier doubled the win and the disbelief.
“I just kept looking at it to make sure I was reading it right,” he laughed, according to Powerball. “I told my family but they didn’t believe me. either.”
Baker, who called his win “a shocker.” said he plans to save his winnings to buy a house.
Baker will take home $71,501 after federal and state taxes are withheld.
How to play the Powerball
In order to purchase a $2 Powerball ticket, you’ll have to visit your local convenience store, gas station or grocery store − and in a handful of states, you can purchase tickets online.
To play, you will need to pick six numbers in total to mark on your ticket. Five numbers will be white balls ranging from numbers 1 to 69. The Powerball is red and one number which is between 1 and 26.
If you want to increase your chances of winning, you can add a “Power Play” for $1 which increases the winnings for all non-jackpot prizes. This addition can multiply winnings by 2X, 3X, 4X, 5X, or 10X.
Players can also ask a cashier for a “Quick Pick” where a cashier will give you a computer generated numbers on a printed Powerball ticket.
Drawings are held on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday nights. If there’s no jackpot winner, the cash prize will increase by millions.
Where to purchase tickets
Tickets can be purchased in person at gas stations, convenience stores and grocery stores. Some airport terminals may also sell lottery tickets.
You can also order tickets online through Jackpocket, the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network, in these U.S. states and territories: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Texas, Washington D.C. and West Virginia. The Jackpocket app allows you to pick your lottery game and numbers, place your order, see your ticket and collect your winnings all using your phone or home computer.
Jackpocket is the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network. Gannett may earn revenue for audience referrals to Jackpocket services. Must be 18+, 21+ in AZ and 19+ in NE. Not affiliated with any State Lottery. Gambling Problem? Call 1-877-8-HOPE-NY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY); 1-800-327-5050(MA); 1-877-MYLIMIT (OR); 1-800-981-0023 (PR); 1-800-GAMBLER (all others). Visit jackpocket.com/tos for full terms.
North Carolina
Obituary for Kristie Lee Sturgill Blake at Market Street Chapel
North Carolina
NBA Draft Scouting Report: Texas’ Tre Johnson
![NBA Draft Scouting Report: Texas’ Tre Johnson NBA Draft Scouting Report: Texas’ Tre Johnson](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_2209,h_1242,x_1298,y_403/c_fill,w_1440,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/nba_draft/01j462h25vxrtranzx37.jpg)
Drake Powell
Guard | UNC
Height: 6’5” | Weight: 185 lbs
2025 Draft Age: 19.78
As a natural wing or off-ball guard, Powell has what it takes to be an impact player at the next level. He boasts the positional size and athleticism to exploit his opponents on either end of the floor. Overall, he’s a very smart player with a competitive edge and is willing to adapt to what his team needs to win.
Powell is really best as an off-ball player offensively, especially given he’s not known for being a self-creator or primary ball-handler. However, he is a smart cutter and has found ways to position himself for success when finding space. To really take his game overall to the next level, the North Carolina freshman will need to prove he can become a better shooter. Whether it’s in the mid-range or beyond the arc, his jumper is inconsistent. Again, as an offensive prospect, he needs to improve to really become a two-way threat. The physical traits are there for him to get where he needs to be, but the development of his offensive game is a huge swing for Powell in terms of draft stock.
On the defensive end of the floor, Powell really shines. His athletic tools allow him to be all over the place and make plays on and off of the ball. He is quick, boasts length and is very smart as a defender. When thinking about what will differentiate him from other prospects at the next level, it will be his upside as a defensive prospect. He plays with tremendous energy and effort and he makes those around him better on the defensive side of the ball. In fact, he is one of the best defenders in the entire freshman class.
If Powell can convince NBA teams that he has the future projection of being a better offensive player, there’s no question he could be one of the most impactful players in the draft. In the meantime, he can lean on his defensive abilities to contribute to winning. The former five-star recruit is following in the footsteps of his father as a Tar Heel, as he played baseball for North Carolina when he was in school.
Mid to Late Lottery Pick in 2025 NBA Draft.
Want to know more about other potential 2025 NBA Draft prospects and where they might get selected? Check out our Draft Digest Big Board.
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