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Embattled Silicon Valley investor Shervin Pishevar is seeking to dismiss his lawsuit against a Republican-driven political opposition firm that he previously alleged had conducted a “smear campaign” against him.
But Pishevar made clear in a statement shared with Recode on Saturday that he is not giving up his quest to find out the source behind recent stories alleging he is responsible for sexual misconduct.
The legal saga began in November, when Pishevar took aim at Definers Public Affairs — a Washington, D.C.-based firm led by GOP insiders Matt Rhoades and Joe Pounder. In his lawsuit, Pishevar accused Definers of working on behalf of his “business competitors” in a bid to “assassinate” his character and career.
Pishevar specifically charged that Definers had spread information tying him to the Russian government. And he said Definers had pushed a narrative that he had “paid money to settle a claim for sexual assault in London.”
Specifically, the latter charge referenced stories that said Pishevar had been arrested in London in May 2017 on suspicion of rape. Some stories included a copy of a London police report that later had been retracted as fraudulent. But subsequent stories, including a major investigation by Bloomberg published in November, linked Pishevar to other allegations of sexual misconduct — including the London incident.
Definers, for its part, said in November that it had not “engaged in any of the actions” that Pishevar outlined.
Come December, Pishevar resigned from his firm, Sherpa Capital, pledging he would “focus now on the appropriate ongoing legal actions against those who are unjustly orchestrating the smear campaign against me.”
On Friday night, though, Shervin said through a statement that he now seeks to dismiss the lawsuit against Definers — but not his broader battle.
“Today I filed a request to dismiss the Definers lawsuit,” he said in a statement. “No damages were paid. I now intend to continue to focus my full attention on those who should ultimately be held responsible for the smear campaign that has been waged against me, including the falsification and distribution of the fraudulent London police report.”
“The fraudulent police report is being investigated by law enforcement so we are hopeful the culprits will be found and justice will be served,” Pishevar said.
Fast Company first reported on Pishevar’s plans late Friday.
This article originally appeared on Recode.net.
