Mayfield's stepmother sues him for defamation

STATESVILLE, N.C.

Lisa Mayfield filed a defamation lawsuit Wednesday against stepson Jeremy Mayfield after he accused her of taking money from NASCAR in exchange for saying she had witnessed him taking methamphetamine.

Lisa Mayfield's attorney filed the suit in Iredell County Superior Court. She seeks in excess of $10,000 in compensatory damages and in excess of $10,000 in punitive damages.

Lisa Mayfield stated in an affidavit for NASCAR this month that she witnessed Jeremy Mayfield taking methamphetamine about 30 times between 1998 and 2005. She also claimed in the affidavit that Jeremy Mayfield "cooked" his own methamphetamine until it became too difficult to obtain the ingredients and that he then bought methamphetamine from others.

Jeremy Mayfield responded by calling his stepmom a "whore" in an interview with ESPN.com and saying "she shot and killed my dad."

In an interview with WSOC, a Charlotte, N.C., TV station, Jeremy Mayfield said: "NASCAR did a great job; that is pretty much a low blow, especially with a lady who is involved with killing my dad and doesn't like me, not one bit, and needs the money, and I am sure they made a pretty hefty deal with her."

The death of Jeremy Mayfield's dad, Terry, in 2007 was ruled a suicide, according to an ESPN.com report.

Lisa Mayfield's suit claims she "has suffered damage to her reputation as the result of the defendant's defamatory statements... and has undergone great mental suffering and emotional distress as a result of the defendant's action in defaming her."