Jury rules for state court justice in libel suit
- Font Size:
- Default font size
- Larger font size
GENEVA, Ill. (AP) — A jury ordered a suburban Chicago newspaper and a former columnist on Tuesday to pay $7 million to the chief justice of the state Supreme Court for a series of articles that he alleged were untrue and damaged his reputation and career.
The jury ruled against the Kane County Chronicle and former columnist Bill Page in the libel suit filed by Chief Justice Robert Thomas, a former Chicago Bears kicker.
“Lies and liars are not protected under the First Amendment,” said Joseph Power, an attorney for Thomas. Power said Thomas believes the jury’s judgment restores his reputation.
An appeal is likely, said defense attorneys Stephen Rosenfeld and Steve Mandell.
“We think this verdict and the size of this verdict could certainly have a chilling effect on the First Amendment, specifically on journalists’ criticism of public officials,” Rosenfeld said.
The lawsuit filed by Thomas sought $7.7 million in damages after Page wrote in 2003 that Thomas softened his position in a disciplinary hearing for former Kane County State’s Attorney Meg Gorecki after her supporters backed a judicial candidate he favored.
del.icio.us
Digg
NewsVine
Fark
redditMore Stories By The Associated Press
() comments
» More Local Stories
- IDOT: Rock River bridge won’t open until spring
- Scientists fear global warming will generate longer wildfire seasons
- RI County ‘multiplier’ is announced
- Program helps people cope with loss during the holidays
- Flu Shots
- Christie Vilsack reaches goal of visiting 500 Iowa libraries
- Jury rules for state court justice in libel suit
Highest Rated Articles from the last 7 Days
- Cheap Airfare
- Compare multiple travel sites. Discount web fares made easy.
- www.LowFares.com
- Holy Grail of eMarketing
- All-in-One Email Marketing Solution 1000s of Big Companies Trust Us.
- www.Lyris.com
- Not Enough Time To Play Golf?
- Portable HomeBiz 25Hrwk w/Our Proven System 6-7 Figure Income Pot.
- www.ready4wealthandfreedom.com
- Ads by Yahoo!
