The ABA Journal reported about an unusual twist of libel suits for a Richmond, Virginia newspaper.
The newspaper, the Richmond Voice, published a letter to the editor about a teacher in 2009, according to ABA Journal. The teacher sued over that letter and the newspaper had to pay $125,000 in the libel lawsuit. But, the newspaper wrote an editorial about the libel loss and was then sued for that by the judge, Melvin R. Hughes Jr., and the teacher’s lawyer, Wayne Barry Montgomery.
The editorial claimed that “courtroom politics may have played a role in the outcome of the first slander case.” The attorney and judge are suing for more than one million dollars in total damages.
According to Mondo Times, the Richmond Voice is a free weekly newspaper with a circulation of about 35,000. The newspaper focuses on “race and ethnic society and culture.”
UPDATE: 4/18/2011 6:45 PM EST: Updated to clarify that the newspaper, the Richmond Voice, had to pay the $125,000.
