Constitutional Law

Jury returns $5M libel verdict against Va. newspaper

By By The Associated Press

CHESAPEAKE, Va. ? A former high school athlete has won a $5 million libel verdict against The Virginian-Pilot newspaper in Norfolk.

A Circuit Court jury found on Feb. 11 that Kevin Webb was libeled by a December 2009 article that said he bullied a schoolmate at Great Bridge High School.

Webb claimed he was falsely accused in a report stemming from Webb's sentencing for misdemeanor assault and trespassing convictions involving the schoolmate's father.

The newspaper denied the allegations and stood behind its story. Lawyers for the newspaper asked to have the verdict set aside as being contrary to the law.

Judge Randall D. Smith postponed recording the verdict pending further arguments on the request.

The newspaper declined to comment on the verdict.

Full post as published by First Amendment Center on February 13, 2011 (boomark / email).