Incoming Florida State Senate President Ben Albritton and a political committee he leads have appealed after a Lake County circuit judge refused to dismiss a lawsuit alleging that a Senate candidate was defamed by a mail piece linking him to China.

Lawyers for Albritton and the Florida Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee on Tuesday filed a petition at the Fifth District Court of Appeal contending that Circuit Judge Dan Mosley erred in denying a motion to dismiss the lawsuit filed by Republican candidate Bowen Kou.