Coruanevn 10 W 12 13 14 15 16 7 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 26 2 28 COPY Mark D. Goldman (012156) JAN 28 2019 Scott H. Zwillinger (019645) Shaun T. Kuter (028278) GOLDMAN & ZWILLINGER PLLC 17851 North 85th Street, Suite 175 Scottsdale, AZ, 85255 Main: (480) 626-8483 Facsimile: (480) 502-7500 E-mail: docket@gzlawoffice.com Attorneys for Plaintiffs IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF THE STATE OF ARIZONA IN THE COUNTY OF MARICOPA MARIA M. SYMS and MARK J. SYMS, a | Nou: CV2019-052544 married couple, | Plaintiff, COMPLAINT v. ARIZONA REPUBLICAN PARTY, a state committee, and JONATHAN W. LINES and ROSALIE LINES, a married couple, Defendants. Plaintiffs Maria M. Syms and Mark J. Syms, by and through their attorneys, Goldman & Zwillinger PLLC, for their causes of action against Defendants, and each of them, hereby allege as follows:THE PARTIES 1. Plaintiffs Maria M. Syms and Mark J. Syms, husband and wife, are residents of Maricopa County, Arizona. 2. Defendants Jonathan W. Lines (“Lines”) and Rosalie Lines, husband and wife, are residents of Yuma County, Arizona. 3. Any actions described herein by either Defendant Lines or Defendant Rosalie Lines were done on their own behalves and on behalf of each other and their marital community and were done in order to bind their marital community, and they each acted, or failed to act, as described herein, on behalf of each other and for the benefit of said marital community, as well as on behalf of the other Defendant, 4, Defendant Arizona Republican Party (the “AZ GOP”) is a state committee, as defined by 52 U.S.C. 30101(15), dedicated to electing candidates of the Republican Party to public office, which main office is located in Maricopa County, Arizona. 5. Defendant Lines is the chairman of the AZ GOP and has been since 2017. 6. Atall times relevant to this matter, Defendant Lines acted on behalf of the AZ GOP in his capacity as chairman of the AZ GOP. JURISIDICTION AND VENUE 7. This action arises from events that occurred in Maricopa County. All Defendants reside or conduct business and/or have offices in Maricopa County, Arizona, 8. The amount in controversy herein exceeds this Court’s minimal jurisdictional amount, and this Court has jurisdiction pursuant to A.R.S. § 12-123. 9. Venue is proper in this Court pursuant to A.R.S. § 12-401.ea ane wn 10 iW 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 26 27 28 GENERAL FACTUAL ALLEGATIONS 10. The events that give rise to the allegations contained within Plaintiffs” Complaint began at the monthly meeting of Legislative District 26 (“Meeting”) on or about January 9, 2019. 11. Atthe Meeting, Defendant Lines was asked about the elections in Legislative District 28, which had recently concluded. 12. Inthe Legislative District 28 elections, Plaintiff Maria M. Syms ran for re- election to the Arizona House of Representatives as a Republican. 13. In the Legislative District 28 elections, Plaintiff Mark J. Syms ran as an independent candidate, but he was not allowed on the ballot following a nomination petition challenge that was orchestrated by Defendant Lines and the AZ GOP. 14, Defendant Lines, in response to an audience question, made several false and malicious statements (the “False Statements”) regarding Plaintitts, 15. The False Statements were: “After the Courts determined that she and her husband had committed fraud, uh, in trying to take out another Republican by registering her husband as an independent, uh the Governor and I sat down with her to try to get her to change course and she wasn’t willing to do it, she wasn’t willing to work with any of the Republicans and she put the state Senate at risk, um and because of that, um, she was left off of those slate pieces.” “She was uh, she was convicted, and she was ordered to pay in the case, she was ordered to pay over $70,000 of restitution to Senator Kate Brophy McGee.” 16. The False Statements falsely stated to the audience that Plaintiffs had committed fraud with regard to the previous election and falsely stated facts underlying those false allegations.