A recently elected Manhattan judge has been accused of winning by getting an aide to file a phony harassment complaint against her Democratic primary opponent. The New York Post reports that Edward Irizzary has filed a $2.7 million lawsuit alleging Betty Lugo, the winner of the June primary for civil court judge in Manhattan’s District 2, got a staffer to spread accusations that Irizzary abused women. The staffer and Irizzary ran into each other while the staffer was collecting signatures one day. She filed a police report alleging Irizarry “repeatedly asked her questions” and “alarmed” her during the encounter—but the NYPD later closed the case and Irizzary said their only interaction was when he simply declined to sign her petition.

The suit claims the Lugo campaign later circulated flyers that said, “Don’t be fooled. Don’t vote for abuser of women for judge in our community” and the staffer tweeted that Irizzary was a “deadbeat misogynist.” He denies the allegations. “I was a prosecutor for many years,” Irizzary told the Post. “I would never do anything like they suggested.”