Someone lied about me in an affidavit. Now what?

Get a consultation from a lawyer with defamation experience. Perhaps you can make this guy and his pig corroborator pay.

I too would seek the counsel of an attorney specializing in defamation/libel/slander. Not because you are seeking damages (because you don't have any yet), but to clear the record. You never know when someone in the future might stumble across their divorce records and see this stuff on file about you. You should at least be on record as denying the claim, and at most getting it expunged from the proceedings, perjury charges and bar investigations as to whether his lawyer was complicit in the lie. "Her (now ex-)husband is an EMT and cop wannabe who has used his connections to the local police to intimidate her. " People with these sorts of desires and connections are sometimes dangerous. Normal people who want to be police officers just fill out applications and get hired somewhere. Washouts and wannabes have something wrong with them that NO police force wanted them around. Be careful.

If someone asserts something to be true in court, the other side has the right to cross-examine that person (that's why hearsay is not allowed). That should take care of any groundless accusations. If it's a sworn affidavit on the husband's part, then he was under oath at the time that he submitted the affidavit, which is not just libel but also perjury. The husband could end up in jail for this -- judges do NOT take kindly to that kind of thing. If you choose to pursue this with a lawyer of your own, or even just by writing a letter to the judge, then you could seriously help your friend out without becoming too embroiled in it. Obviously, accusations of witchcraft are a little hard to prove. But there would definitely be records of threatening a police officer. Does the affidavit contain the name of a police officer? Then you should contact the police department and let them know that this officer's name was listed in the affidavit.

Clarification: Not interested in damages or really any public attention here! Just want to know how much exposure I have and if there's any way to minimize it.

You really want to talk to an attorney. Dude may not care how nasty his divorce case gets, but if he starts getting lots of nastygrams from attorneys of people he's defamed/libeled in the course of the case he may need to rethink his strategy a bit...

Divorce proceedings don't generally end up posted to the net, so I think your exposure is pretty limited from an actual damages perspective. (Will anyone except the judge ever see it?) It will get filed away somewhere, probably forever. I don't see this affecting your career prospects. It sounds like the ex-husband filed the affidavit not the cop right? If it was the ex-husband, ignore it. It will be taken as typical ugly divorce stuff, even if it ever is seen again. If it was a cop who made up out of whole cloth, I think you should do something about it. It is in everyone's interest to do something about cops who are that crooked. But here we get a little out of my depth. Get a lawyer and have the lawyer contact the police department?

If it were me, I would probably at least consult with an attorney, and file a responsive affidavit giving a calm, brief recitation. Anything you can say that makes you sound like a perfect citizen girl scout by mainstream standards: E.g., I have worked at company X for 15 years. I have been married for 10 years. I have no criminal record. I own my own home. There are no blemishes on my credit history. I have not had so much as a speeding ticket for 20 years. Etc. And then at the end, I have never met cop Y and have never shouted at or threatened any cop in my life. The allegation is completely fabricated. Then you would sign under penalty of perjury, etc. Have the attorney take a look at your draft before you send it in. Maybe he or she can think of something more for you to say. Generally, all of this family law stuff is completely confidential, and does not become public. And it sounds like this guy has no credibility. But if it anything ever did come out (very unlikely), you want to have your response in the file. Or, I would anyway.

Does this ex-husband have a police connection that is corroborating his affidavit? If you have a clear conscience about the accusation, then you should contact the police and involve their ombudsman or internal investigator if necessary. And yes, get a lawyer.

Get a lawyer. And also make sure your friend's lawyer is aware of the situation. If someone asserts something to be true in court, the other side has the right to cross-examine that person (that's why hearsay is not allowed). That should take care of any groundless accusations. I would definitely pursue an official complaint with the police department. (But seriously, don't act on any other advice before you've talked to your own lawyer)