The four people threatened with defamation lawsuits by outgoing Senate President J. Stuart Adams have a clear message: We won’t be silenced.

Utah Auditor Tina Cannon, conservative podcasters Uriah Kennedy and Ingrid Bettridge, and political operative Gabi Finlayson each say they are not taking back comments they made about the senator and are prepared for a legal battle if Adams wants to move forward with his threat.

An attorney for Cannon, Brent O. Hatch, the son of the late Sen. Orrin Hatch, sent a letter to Adams’ attorney dated Aug. 21 accusing Adams of providing the letters to The Salt Lake Tribune before sending them to Cannon and the others in an attempt to sway public opinion.

“I trust your future interactions will be more professional,” the letter states.

The Salt Lake Tribune first obtained copies of the letters and reported on the litigation threat last week, before at least one of the individuals had seen a copy, but it did not receive the letters from Adams.

The letter from Hatch contends that none of the statements Adams wants retracted were false or defamatory. Hatch’s letter says if Adams proceeds, they look forward to putting him under oath to explore his own role in any damage done to his reputation.

“It is clear that any damages he has suffered, and there are likely none, are solely the result of his own actions, including those taken behind the scenes wielding influence as Senate President as reported in the press,” the letter states.

In addition, the letter contends that the statements Cannon made on the “God & Country Podcast” a few days after Adams’ Republican primary defeat are protected under Utah’s Public Expression Protection Act (UPEPA) — a law aimed at protecting speech regarding issues of public concern — and if Cannon prevails, she could collect attorneys’ fees and court costs.

Monday evening, the hosts of the podcast, Kennedy and Bettridge, also sent a letter to Adams’ attorney, Tanner Bean, rejecting the demand for a retraction and dismissing the threats as a “continuation of a multi-year effort by your client to manipulate media narratives and rehabilitate his reputation prior to leaving office in December.”

The podcasters’ letter contends that Adams’ “grievances are without merit and have demonstrably failed to garner any sympathy in the press and worse, public opinion,” and echoes Cannon’s letter that the statements that were made were protected by the First Amendment and UPEPA.

“We have received numerous reports from Utah State Senators and House members regarding instances of bullying tactics, retaliation, and the suppression of debate and legislation attributed to your client,” the pair said. “Several of these legislators have reached out to us and expressed a willingness to speak publicly on these matters after the first of the year, once they no longer face potential reprisal.”

Finlayson, a Democratic political consultant, said she has a lawyer drafting a response that she will send later this week.

“What I will say is this: I stand by what I said. I stand by the work that we do, and I have faith in the legal system,” she said in a social media post this week. “If Mr. Adams decides to move forward, I am confident that we will prevail. … We are taking this seriously. We will also not be scared into silence.”

Finlayson’s consulting firm has been raising money through its political action committee, Elevate PAC, to cover legal fees. The PAC has not had to report yet how much it has raised.

In response to questions about whether he now planned to sue, Adams said in a statement: “I’m keeping my options open. The letters speak for themselves. When you read them, it is clear that they lied.”

Adams, who lost his primary election to Republican Stephanie Hollist in June, said in a statement last week that he had Bean send the letters because “I want the lies to stop.”

“For months, false statements have been spread about me despite the facts and the public record, showing a reckless disregard for the truth, with the intent of damaging my reputation and causing tremendous harm to my family,” he said. “This is about setting the record straight. Respond to the letters, correct the record and apologize for the lies.”

Adams gave the four two weeks to comply with his demand and retract their statements. If not, Bean wrote, Adams “is prepared to promptly take all steps necessary to protect his rights, including pursuing all available legal remedies,” and recover damages and attorney fees.

Defamation lawsuits brought by public figures, like political officeholders, are extremely difficult to win.

First, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that political speech has a high level of protection and public figures must show “actual malice” in order to prevail — the speaker had to know, or should have known, the statements were false but said them anyway.

Second, UPEPA makes it easier for defendants in a lawsuit to have the case dismissed if the court deems the lawsuit is intended to stifle free speech on public issues.