PITTSBURGH -- A Marine from Canonsburg, Washington County, sued U.S. Rep. John Murtha Thursday in federal court over remarks that he said he believes were slanderous.

Justin Sharratt, 24, filed the federal lawsuit in Pittsburgh stating the congressman damaged his reputation by saying Marines killed women and children "in cold blood" in Haditha, Iraq, in November 2005.

Sharrat said he's suffered name-calling in his hometown because of allegations against his unit, spotlighted by Murtha.

"Babykillers. You guys don't need to be out there slaughtering people. That never happened," Sharratt said of the remarks he's heard.

Sharratt claimed the comments Murtha, a high-ranking Democrat, made on various news shows in May 2006 also violated his constitutional rights to due process and presumption of innocence.

Murtha made public comments during the investigation into the incident and claimed Sharratt's unit slaughtered innocent Iraqi civilians, according to Sharratt's lawyer, Noah Geary.

"Murtha's statements were false. They were made recklessly, without regard to their truth. And what he did was outrageous," Geary said.

In 2006, Murtha said Marine officials told him the only gunfire came from marines, and that they killed 24 civilians.

"I will not excuse murder. And this is what happened. There's no question in my mind about it. This investigation should have been over two or three weeks afterwards, and it should have been made public, and people should have been held responsible for it," Murtha said in May 2006.

"Sharratt, in being labeled repeatedly by Murtha as a 'cold-blooded murderer,' and by Murtha outrageously claiming that the Haditha incident was comparable to the infamous (My Lai) massacre of Vietnam, has suffered permanent, irreversible damage to his reputation," the lawsuit states.

Two dozen Iraqis, including women and children, were killed in Haditha on Nov. 19, 2005, after one Marine died and two others were wounded by a roadside bomb. Murtha, a former Marine and decorated Vietnam War veteran, learned of the killings and began speaking out about them, saying that troops in Iraq were being put under too much pressure.

The military initially charged the 24-year-old Sharratt with three counts of premeditated murder, but he was exonerated after a full investigation and a hearing. Six other Marines were also cleared on all charges. Charges against one other Marine are still pending.

In the lawsuit, Sharratt accuses Murtha of repeatedly saying on CNN, NBC and other outlets that Sharratt and his fellow Marines "overreacted because of the pressure on them and killed innocent civilians in cold blood."

Since that time, Sharratt was granted a request for his discharge from the Marine Corps.

Sharratt said he hopes his lawsuit sends a message.

"Giving of more hope and taking away the demoralization that he gave to the military when he made those comments," Sharratt said.

Sharratt's Web site links to the site of Murtha's election opponent, whose TV ads attack Murtha's comments. But Sharratt says his lawsuit is not political and that it's his relatives, not him, who run his site.

WTAE's Bob Mayo contacted Murtha's office on Thursday, but a spokesperson for the congressman said he isn't going to comment.

To read the lawsuit, click on one of the following .pdf files:

Murtha Lawsuit Page 1

Murtha Lawsuit Pages 2-13

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