Republican Businessman Sues Democratic Congressional Candidate

The owner of the popular Newtown Athletic Club is suing a congressional candidate.

Jim Worthington, the Upper Makefield Township businessman and vocal Republican, filed a lawsuit last week in the Bucks County Court of Common Pleas against Democratic First Congressional District candidate Ashley Ehasz, a Bensalem Township resident.

The businessman, who is a prominent supporter of former President Donald Trump and Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick, has taken issue with statements Ehasz made related to the January 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C.

Worthington is seeking more than $50,000 in damages from Ehasz over claims of defamation, according to the lawsuit.

Following the January 6 attack on the capitol, Worthington put out a statement that said he helped organize buses with about 200 people traveling from Bucks County to Washington D.C. to hear the outgoing president speak.

“Not one of them was near the capitol entrance when the rioting took place nor were most of them aware of any activities at the capitol until after they got on the bus,” Worthington wrote in a statement on January 9, 2021.

At the 2021 rally, Trump and his allies aired grievances over losing the 2020 election. During and following the event, the attack on police officers and the capitol building began not far away.

In the lawsuit, Worthington alleged Ehasz’s campaign website included information in late January that the businessman was “a major funder of buses from Bucks County to the January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.”

In a fundraising email, Ehasz’s campaign wrote Worthington “spent thousands of dollars and organized busloads of Trump supporters to attend the ‘Stop the Steal’ rally that turned into a violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021,” according to the lawsuit.

Worthington claims Ehasz defamed him and “stated and/or implied” the businessman funded travel for people who took part in the attack.

“Worthington is highly regarded entrepreneur who enjoys a tremendous reputation locally, nationally and globally, for his successful business interests, including in the health and sports club industry. In addition to being renowned as a successful businessperson, Worthington has an outstanding reputation as a philanthropist based on his myriad, longstanding charitable endeavors in the local community, and in recent years, on national scale,” the lawsuit states.

Worthington said about 200 people headed from Bucks County to Washington D.C. for the rally, which was organized with his People4Trump group.

“The attendees were mostly middle-aged housewives. The attendees paid their own way for the bus trip,” the lawsuit states.

The filing notes many people attempted to tie Worthington to the attack, but he was not there for the insurrection and has not been accused of a crime.

No members of the bus trip have accused of be involved in the attack.

The lawsuit states those who took part in the attack have “rightfully been vilified.”

Worthington has not been accused of any crimes at the capitol in relation to the January 6 attack, his lawsuit said.

Days after the attack, Worthington went on The Conservative Voice radio program to state the FBI had visited him to ask about his whereabouts on January 6. He said he called Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick, a close friend of Worthington, and asked for advice. Worthington stated at the time he was not near the capitol, as LevittownNow.com reported last year.

Ehasz’ campaign manager brushed off the lawsuit on Tuesday.

“This is a frivolous lawsuit by Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick’s friend and donor to intimidate Ashley. She has been standing up to bullies like Mr. Worthington her entire life and remains focused on her campaign to defeat Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick and fight for the priorities of families in Bucks and Montgomery counties he continues to ignore,” campaign manager Hannah Jeffrey said.

Worthington is currently involved in a separate defamation lawsuit with a progressive group and a Bucks County man over a petition related to the January 6 attack that called on local businesses and organizations to sever their ties with the Newtown Athletic Club and Worthington.

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