ANN ARBOR, Mich., April 7 (UPI) -- A fired assistant Michigan state attorney general is being sued for $25,000 for allegedly stalking, intimidating and defaming a college student body president.
Andrew Shirvell -- fired from his job last fall for using public computers for personal business and then lying about it -- allegedly "developed a bizarre personal obsession with [University of Michigan student body President Chris Armstrong] in early 2010, although [Shirvell] had neither met nor spoken with [Armstrong] whatsoever," the lawsuit filed in Washtenaw County Circuit Court in Ann Arbor stated.
Shirvell allegedly stalked Armstrong, defamed him and inflicted emotional distress on him during a "bizarre" campaign that included physical intimidation and numerous blog postings alleging Armstrong was advancing a "radical homosexual agenda," the lawsuit stated.
Armstrong, the first openly gay student body president at the school, ended his term last week.
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Shirvell "has behaved so irresponsibly, especially for an attorney," Armstrong's attorney, Deborah Gordon, told the Detroit Free Press. "He's a rebel without a cause.
"At this point, it's not about the money," she added. "Mr. Shirvell has refused to retract any of his bizarre and untruthful points. We want to set the record straight."
Shirvell's blog "Chris Armstrong Watch" called Armstrong "Satan's representative" and "the Harvey Milk of Michigan." Milk was the first openly gay man elected to public office in California. He was later assassinated.
Shirvell also allegedly said Armstrong had a homosexual orgy in his dorm room, was an "outright anti-Christian bigot" and recruited male freshmen "to join the homosexual lifestyle."
Shirvell frequented the university campus to heckle Armstrong and repeatedly showed up at Armstrong's Ann Arbor residence unannounced and uninvited, the lawsuit alleged.
Shirvell -- also under investigation by the state bar association for his alleged actions -- could not be reached for comment.
Philip Thomas, representing Shirvell in the state bar matter, said he was not representing him in this case.
The Michigan state bar's Web site says Shirvell is "active and in good standing" and living in North Babylon, N.Y., on Long Island.
