The New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission has unanimously decided that Republican gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli can use his own personal money to sue Rep. Mikie Sherrill for defamation.

Ciattarelli wanted to ensure that the lawsuit would not violate campaign finance law.

Ciattarelli wants to sue his Democratic gubernatorial opponent because he says Sherrill defamed him by claiming during a televised debate that he “killed tens of thousands of people” via his former publishing company. Sherrill says this company was paid to downplay the dangers of opioids.

"Based on ELEC's favorable decision, Jack instructed his attorneys to move forward with preparing and filing the defamation lawsuit, so Mikie Sherrill is held accountable for her reckless lies about Jack and his small business. Tough talk is one thing, but Mikie accusing Jack of mass murder on the debate stage - twice - shows what a desperate candidate she truly is,” wrote Ciattarelli campaign spokesperson Chris Russell in a statement.

A spokesperson for the Sherill campaign wrote in a statement to News 12, "Perennial candidate Jack Ciattarelli has run three gubernatorial campaigns on his history as a ‘small business owner.’ But the moment Mikie Sherrill pressed him on the truth about his business, which peddled deadly misinformation about opioids and was paid by an opioid company to develop an app to coach patients to get hydrocodone, he threatened to file a lawsuit to shut the conversation down. Jack has yet to deny his role in fueling the opioid epidemic, and if he actually follows through on his desperate and frivolous lawsuit, we look forward to obtaining legal discovery into Jack putting millions in profits over those dying in the opioid crisis."

New Jersey’s gubernatorial election is on Nov. 4.