Vote.org, a nonprofit voter registration organization, is suing its founder and former CEO over what the group claims is an alleged smear campaign she’s led against the organization since she was fired in 2019. The organization filed a lawsuit Monday against Debra Cleaver in U.S. District Court in Indianapolis. The lawsuit alleges that following her firing in 2019, Cleaver has allegedly defamed and disparaged Vote.org and its executive leadership in an effort to discourage donors and partners from working with the organization, according to the lawsuit. “We filed this lawsuit to safeguard voting access for tens of millions of Americans by stopping Ms. Cleaver’s coordinated attacks on Vote.org,” said Vanessa Avery, partner at McCarter & English and lead counsel for Vote.org. “Since being replaced as CEO in 2019, Ms. Cleaver has defamed the organization and its leadership, infringed on Vote.org’s trademarks, impersonated Vote.org and its CEO in an effort to siphon funding and other support away from Vote.org to herself and a new entity that she created, among other things. There is no reason to believe she will stop until Vote.org secures the court-ordered relief this lawsuit seeks. Ms. Cleaver must be held accountable for the enormous harm she has caused and continues to cause.” The McCarter team representing Vote.org also includes partner Zachary Myers, former US Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana and associate Kaylin Cook.
9.22.2025