EASTON, Pa. – A lawsuit alleging Lehigh Valley congressional candidate Bob Brooks attempted to defraud his former mother-in-law can proceed, a Northampton County judge has ruled.
Carol Wiley alleged in February that Brooks and his second wife, Jennifer Lynne Brooks, are trying to hide their assets to avoid paying her a six-figure court judgment from 2020.
Brooks has denied any wrongdoing and asked the court in April to dismiss the suit. He argued in court records that Wiley missed her timeframe to pursue litigation and that her latest suit amounted to little more than speculation.
But Judge Jennifer Sletvold ruled last week that Wiley's suit can proceed. The five-year window Brooks argued should apply isn't relevant to this case, she found. Similarly, Wiley's allegations met the necessary legal challenges at this stage, Sletvold ruled.
With the motion to dismiss addressed, Brooks now has until mid-August to file his response to the Wiley lawsuit.
A family dispute years in the making
The case dates back to 2004 when Wiley and her husband, Michael, gave their daughter Jennifer Lynn and her then-fiance Brooks an acre of land in Moore Township. In return, the couple was supposed to pay the Wileys $55,000.
After no payments were made by 2008, the arrangement was formalized. The now-married couple signed a promissory note agreeing to pay off the debt by 2018 at 6.5% annual interest. By the end of that time, however, Brooks and Jennifer Lynn had divorced and only paid $100.
Wiley successfully sued, earning a $130,386 judgment against Brooks in 2020 that was upheld by the Pennsylvania Superior Court. As of February, neither Brooks nor Jennifer Lynn made any payments on that debt, which has since ballooned to more than $162,000.
Wiley filed a new lawsuit in February, alleging that Brooks and his second wife, Jennifer Lynne, are attempting to hide their assets to avoid paying her. The Moore Township residence, where Brooks still lives, was transferred to Jennifer Lynne through a quitclaim deed even though Jennifer Lynn's name was still on property records. Wiley alleges the Brookses relied on confusion over the two women's names to slip the document past Northampton County clerks.
Once the deed was in Jennifer Lynne's name, she mortgaged the property for $330,000, according to the lawsuit. None of the funds were used to pay Wiley, who alleges the mortgage undervalues the home.
High-stakes congressional race
The Wiley suit has loomed over Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District race for months, and last week's ruling will keep it on the contest's periphery.
Brooks' opponents in the Democratic primary pointed to the Wiley suit while raising questions about his fitness for office. Voters took little notice. Boosted by endorsements from Gov. Josh Shapiro and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Brooks cruised to a 20-point victory in the May primary.
Ryan Mackenzie's campaign is hoping voters in the general election will review the case with a more discerning eye. The campaign issued a statement highlighting the ruling and questioning Brooks' character.
"The people of the Lehigh Valley and the Poconos are asking themselves an important question: If Bob Brooks will steal from his own family, what will he do in Congress?” Mackenzie campaign manager Andres Weller said.
Brooks, president of the Pennsylvania Professional Fire Fighters Association, has run on his blue-collar bona fides. He's discussed nearly having to declare bankruptcy on the campaign trail and says those experiences on the financial edge make him best equipped to represent working-class families in Washington.
The campaign issued a statement Tuesday accusing the Mackenzie campaign of trying to capitalize on the lawsuit.
"Ryan Mackenzie is desperate to distract from his own record because he has unleashed devastating health care cuts and higher prices on everything from gas to groceries," the statement read.
The 7th District represents Carbon, Lehigh and Northampton counties and a sliver of Monroe County. It's regarded as one of the last remaining battleground seats in the U.S. House.
Each of the district's last three races has been decided by less than 3 percentage points; Mackenzie won in 2024 by just 1 percentage point. As a result, both major parties have invested millions of dollars in bids to persuade local voters to support their preferred candidate.