Mayoral candidate Daniel Davis filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the parent companies of three Jacksonville television stations for airing what he alleged was a false defamatory ad against him.

The legal filing called the ad a “hit piece” that “places images, text, and audio together to promote the false narrative that the plaintiff is ‘dirty’ and ‘won’t protect children.’” The ad, paid for by Jax First, which supports opposing Republican candidate LeAnna Cumber’s campaign, aired on Action News Jax, First Coast News and News4Jax.

The filing alleges station management knew the ad to be untrue because of previous emails from Davis’ lawyer informing them of the falsehoods and warning them of an impending action unless the ads were taken off the air.

Read the rest of this story at the Florida Times-Union, a Jacksonville Today news partner. See the lawsuit here.