MORRISTOWN -- A Jefferson man has filed a lawsuit against six people he alleges defamed him on social media by accusing him of killing Pedals the bipedal bear during the October hunt.

An adult male bear killed during the hunt on Oct. 10 is believed to be Pedals the bear. There is no way for officials to confirm the bear's identity since Pedals was never tagged or had a DNA sample taken.

The lawsuit filed in Morris County Superior Court on Dec. 2 by an attorney representing John H. DeFilippo alleges six people defamed and libeled DeFilippo in numerous Facebook posts on Pedals' death as well as comments related to online news articles, including several articles on NJ.com.

DeFilippo's attorney, Wolfgang Robinson, said his client is a hunter but he didn't kill Pedals.

"The First Amendment protects the freedom of speech," Robinson said in a statement. "But not all speech. There is no such thing as a constitutional right to make false statements about others. The defendants that have been named in this lawsuit falsely stated that my client harvested Pedals the Bear. He did not."

Pedals, who walked on its hind legs due to injuries or deformities to its front paws, became an Internet sensation last year due in part to videos and sightings of the bear in Morris, Passaic, Somerset and Sussex counties.

Division of Fish and Wildlife biologists have said Pedals' injuries were most likely sustained from an impact with a car.

The state Department of Environmental Protection hasn't definitively said whether Pedals was killed because the bear hadn't been tagged or had a DNA sample taken -- effectively preventing state officials from being able to verify its death.

However, a 333-pound bruin with injuries consistent with Pedals was brought into the DEP check station in Rockaway Township on Oct. 10, the first day of the state's first bow hunt for bears in more than forty years. The bear was killed on federal land at Picatinny Arsenal in Rockaway Township, according to a copy of the check station input form obtained by NJ Advance Media.

"The injured paws and chest blaze of this particular adult bear brought to Green Pond appear to be consistent with the bear seen walking upright on several videos taken from North Jersey residents over the past two years," Bob Considine, a DEP spokesman, previously said in a news release.

DEP hasn't released the name of the hunter who killed this bear.

In his lawsuit, DeFilippo stated various Facebook pages devoted to Pedals appeared online following the suspected demise of the bear and several posts purportedly named him as the hunter who killed the bear.

An adult male bear killed during the hunt that is believed to be Pedals the bear. There is no way for officials to confirm the bear's identity since Pedals was never tagged or had a DNA sample taken.

DeFilippo alleges some of these individuals called him a "bear murderer," and stated people would be "gunnin" for him and he "would get his due." The lawsuit also alleges defendants provided pictures of his home and information on his employment and family members on Facebook.

Those named in the lawsuit as defendants include New Jersey residents from Lake Hopatcong, Stanhope and Oakland as well as residents of Florida and Massachusetts.

NJ Advance Media hasn't yet verified the identities of those named as defendants.

Another man, Thomas McCreary, was initially accused on social media of having killed Pedals, but DEP has said he wasn't the hunter responsible.

McCreary also previously showed NJ Advance Media his 2016 Zone 4 black bear hunting permit. The bear with injuries consistent with Pedals' was killed in Zone 3.

DeFilippo, in his lawsuit, is seeking compensatory and punitive damages for defamation and invasion of privacy.

Hunters have killed more than 600 bears during the October and December bear hunts this year, surpassing the previous record of 592 bears killed when the hunt resumed in 2010 after a five-year hiatus.

Justin Zaremba may be reached at jzaremba@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JustinZarembaNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.