"At no time did North seek the removal of (Wayne) LaPierre as (executive vice president)/CEO of the NRA," North's legal team wrote in a court filing Thursday. "Nonetheless, LaPierre attacked North publicly in an attempt to undermine North and his efforts to address allegations of financial misconduct at the NRA."

At the NRA's annual meeting earlier this year, LaPierre told board members that North -- then the NRA president -- was trying to extort him. In a letter to the board of directors, LaPierre said North had pressed him to resign or be subjected to a smear campaign.

North says in his filing that the letter was "false and defamatory." Still, he was effectively ousted from the NRA. Soon after, the NRA sued North in New York.

North, in his response to the lawsuit, said he grew concerned about the NRA's spending on legal fees -- "hundreds of thousands of dollars in clothing, private jet travel, and other personal benefits" for LaPierre -- and other financial mismanagement that could jeopardize the NRA's nonprofit status.

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