DUDLEY – A former Worcester city councilor has sued the online blog Turtleboy Sports alleging fraud and libel.

Michael Gaffney, a lawyer, filed the civil lawsuit on Dec. 18 in Dudley District Court. It lists Turtleboy Digital Marketing LLC and Turtleboy Enterprises, both of Worcester, and Aidan Kearney of Holden as defendants.

Mr. Gaffney did not return a telephone call seeking comment Friday.

In the lawsuit, he accuses the defendants of libel and overstating its readership. Mr. Gaffney once bought advertising from the blog.

The blog at one point endorsed Mr. Gaffney and his candidacy for the council, but later revoked its support.

In October, Mr. Gaffney, who was seeking re-election as an at-large city councilor, and his wife Coreen, who was running for the council seat in District 4, abruptly withdrew from the council race in a press release posted on Mr. Gaffney's blog, The Worcester Independent Leader. They said they had decided to pursue another opportunity and no longer had the time needed to devote to the City Council. They did not specify what their new endeavors might be.

Mr. Gaffney stated in his lawsuit that the defendants were aware he sought to withdraw from the council race as early as Sept. 7 via messages exchanged on social media. Mr. Gaffney said the defendants advised him that they were going to publish a blog that Mr. Gaffney “might not like,” and not to “take it personally."

In the suit, Mr. Gaffney says he felt threatened by the defendants because their blogs were “replete with their position that they act as a public shaming device and their motto is ‘Don’t Poke the Turtle.’"

The suit contends that after the election, the defendants “maliciously and willfully” published a blog titled, “Worcester Elected a Junkbox (Dante Comparetto) to the School Committee over a College Professor (Donna Colorio) Because Everything Mike Gaffney Touched Turned to (expletive)."

The blog suggested Mr. Gaffney held an ulterior motive for dropping out of the race. “He dropped out because he knew he was going to lose,” the website read, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit requests $1,800 in court costs and lawyer fees pursuant to state rules on business practices for consumer protection.