Thanks to Walker for pointing me to this. Barr alleges defamation in lawsuit against Clinton, Carville and Flynt

Rep. Bob Barr, R-Ga., is suing former President Clinton, Democratic analyst James Carville and Hustler magazine publisher Larry Flynt, contending they harmed his reputation and caused him emotional distress during the Clinton impeachment.

Barr, a vigorous Clinton critic who called for the president to resign, is seeking at least $30 million, along with attorney’s fees and other costs.

He filed the lawsuit March 7 in U.S. District Court. Flynt, who says he was notified last week, made it public this week.

“It’s ridiculous,” Flynt said Thursday in a phone interview from his Los Angeles home. “He’s been out of the limelight for a while so maybe he’s looking for some attention.”

The lawsuit, filed along with various news articles and television transcripts, alleges the three defendants took part in a “common scheme and ongoing conspiracy to attempt to intimidate, impede and/or retaliate” against Barr and other House impeachment managers.

Specifically, it accuses Carville of providing Flynt with FBI files and other classified information on Barr’s private life for use in a smear campaign. It alleges Clinton approved of the actions.

“I don’t know if it’s more silly or more frivolous,” Carville said. “It’s just a political stunt. I think the best thing to do is let the courts handle it.” Yahoo! News

Rafe Coburn, in rc3, points out that “the news of the case was released at the same time Barr’s House committee is holding hearings on a bill that would put limits on ‘frivolous lawsuits,’ by putting a cap on damages awarded for pain and suffering.”