A judge on Friday authorized Slippery Rock Mayor Jondavid Longo’s attorney to file an amended complaint in a lawsuit against attorney Jennifer Gilliland Vanasdale.

The suit seeks to recoup his legal costs from the defamation suit she filed against him, as well as others, after her unsuccessful run to unseat District Attorney Richard Goldinger in the 2023 election.

Visiting Senior Judge Christopher St. John ruled on two recently filed petitions before he authorized Longo’s attorney, Rebecca Black, to file an amended complaint.

He denied a request to hear oral arguments on the preliminary objections filed in response to Longo’s suit, which was filed in December, from attorneys representing Gilliland Vanasdale, the Gilliland Vanasdale Law Office in Cranberry Township and Very Law, PLLC, the Pittsburgh law firm that represented her in her defamation suit.

St. John also denied Black’s request to stay, or suspend, the suit until after Pennsylvania Superior Court rules on Gilliland Vanasdale’s appeal of St. John’s October 2025 order dismissing the defamation suit.

Black told St. John that Gilliland Vanasdale’s law office and Very Law will be removed as defendants in the amended complaint, leaving Gilliland Vanasdale as the lone defendant.

Longo’s suit was filed in response to Gilliland Vanasdale’s suit, which claimed Longo, Goldinger, Justin Castilyn, of Saxonburg, and Cheryl Guenther, of Prospect, defamed her to help Goldinger win reelection. Gilliland Vanasdale ran as an independent candidate.

The suit alleged widespread communication of false statements contained in a letter sent out as part of Goldinger’s campaign. The letter alleged that Gilliland Vanasdale is “unable to practice in front of any of the sitting judges in Butler County.”

The defendants’ attorneys argued that Gilliland Vanasdale is a public figure because she ran for public office more than once and the defendants have immunity because the allegations against them took place during a political campaign and should be considered speech on a matter of public interest.

Gilliland Vanasdale’s attorney, Nicholas DiNardo, argued she is not a public figure, so she does not have to prove the defendants acted with malice in defaming her.

St. John ruled that Gilliland Vanasdale is a “limited-purpose public figure,” which is defined as an individual who voluntarily put themselves before the public, by campaigning for the office of district attorney. The ruling said Gilliland Vanasdale failed to present legally sufficient facts to support actual malice.

Longo’s suit contains one count of wrongful use of civil proceedings against Very Law and one against Gilliland Vanasdale and the law firm, and one count of action for protected public expression against Gilliland Vanasdale.

In the suit, Longo said he hired Black’s law firm, Lutz, Pawk and Black, at a rate of $300 per hour, and spent in excess of $35,000 to defend against the “frivolous” defamation suit.

“Vanasdale and GV Law weaponized the judicial system and used it as their own form of retaliation; they knew Longo would not be found liable to Vanasdale for any alleged damages, but wanted to force him to incur significant legal fees in defending himself,” according to Longo’s suit.

The defamation suit was based on the campaign post about Gilliland Vanasdale that Goldinger wrote and posted on Facebook, according the suit.

Soon after the defamation suit was filed, Longo alerted Gilliland Vanasdale and the law firm that he believed the suit violated one of the Rules of Civil Procedure, the suit said. He cited case law establishing that sharing a campaign post does not constitute publication for purposes of a defamation claim, and demanded she withdraw the suit, according to Longo’s suit.

Gilliland Vanasdale filed two amended complaints after filing the original complaint. However, all the arguments failed to establish a claim upon which relief could be granted, according to Longo’s suit.