Kathy Willens/Associated Press
- The National Rifle Association dropped its lawsuit against New York Attorney General Letitia James.
- NRA lawyers sued James and her office, claiming her investigation was politically motivated.
- "We were victorious," James' office said in a statement, according to Law & Crime.
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The National Rifle Association on Friday dropped its lawsuit against New York Attorney General Letitia James and her office.
"The NRA dropping its countersuit today in federal court is an implicit admission that their strategy would never prevail," James said in a statement to legal news outlet Law & Crime.
"The truth is that Wayne LaPierre and his lieutenants used the NRA as a breeding ground for personal gain and a lavish lifestyle," she continued. "We were victorious against the organization's attempt to declare bankruptcy, and our fight for transparency and accountability will continue because no one is above the law."
According to CNN, the NRA said in a statement the suit was "voluntarily" withdrawn in the US District Court for the Northern District of New York "in favor of pursuing the same claims against James in New York State court in Manhattan.
The organization filed a similar lawsuit against James in New York state court earlier this year, according to CNN.
Lawyers for the NRA sued James and her office in August 2020, claiming James and her office were illegally investigating the organization for political reasons.
"There can be no doubt that the James's actions against the NRA are motivated and substantially caused by her hostility toward the NRA's political advocacy," lawyers for the NRA claimed in the filing the lawsuit last year.
As Law & Crime reported, that lawsuit was filed the same day James' office filed a petition seeking the dissolution of the NRA over claims of fraud at the organization, including that longtime CEO Wayne LaPierre and others improperly organization funds for pay for things like travel and "expensive meals."
A federal judge last month dismissed the NRA's request to declare bankruptcy and said its petition to do so had not "been filed in good faith" and that the NRA attempted to file bankruptcy to avoid litigation in New York.