A judge this month dismissed a defamation lawsuit brought by Wisconsin-based animal rights group Animal Lobby Inc. against radio talk show host Charlie Sykes.
Animal Lobby Inc.’s Schultz sued Sykes and others in January 1998 after newspapers and radio coverage named her as a suspect in a dognapping case and also linked her to a sting operation at a Wisconsin farm. Schultz was charged in the dognapping case, but all charges were later dropped.
Schultz’s defamation case was dismissed after Circuit Judge Francis Wasielewski ruled that Schultz had suborned perjury from another witness. Schultz had asked a friend to lie on her behalf, and coached the friend on how to testify in court. Schultz denied that she had suborned perjury, but the friend produced a typewritten script that Schultz admitted writing that detailed how the friend should answer questions she might be asked at the trial.
Animal Lobby Inc. then filed suit against Sykes arguing that it as an organization had been defamed. A state appeals court reinstated one charge related to the sting operation at the Wisconsin farm which Sykes falsely reported Schultz was involved in.
Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Timothy Dugan dismissed that claim earlier this month, finding that when Schultz was acting as an agent of Animal Lobby Inc. when she attempted to suborn perjury. He also fined Animal Lobby Inc. $100.
Schultz told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel that she plans to appeal the ruling.
Source:
Activist’s complaint dismissed. Tom Held, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, February 6, 2003.