Lawmaker files suit against newspaper
Pennsylvania State House Minority Leader Rep. H. William DeWeese has filed a lawsuit against the Herald-Standard, claiming that the newspaper repeatedly used “false and defamatory statements” that injured his reputation by casting aspersions on his honesty. The suit, originally filed in May, was finalized in court documents filed Friday. It is based largely on the newspaper’s comments concerning DeWeese, accompanied by an editorial caricature of DeWeese (D-Waynesburg) that ran daily from June 2001 through May 2002 in an effort to bring about accountability for elected officials, said Executive Editor Michael C. Ellis.
The comments routinely asked when DeWeese would turn over detailed records relating to expenditures from an $11 million Leadership Account he administered on behalf of House Democrats. Republicans have a similar fund.
The comments and the caricature stopped running May 22, the same day DeWeese was re-nominated in the Democratic primary to the House by a 3-1 margin.
Ellis said that the newspaper has a “responsibility to our readers and to the public to demand accountability of our elected officials.
“We will continue to insist on accountability from our elected officials at all levels of our government,” he added. “All of our efforts over the past several years have been focused on opening legislative expense documents for the public to review.
“All members of the state Legislature, both Republicans and Democrats, should, in our opinion, be ready and willing to immediately open their expense files upon a simple request from any taxpayer to show in detail exactly how they are spending the public’s money. We will continue to be diligent in our ongoing efforts to obtain legislative expense records,” Ellis said.
“It would be easier for us if we simply accepted the status quo in Harrisburg, but to do so would not serve the interests of our readers, the public and the taxpayers,” Ellis said.
The suit claims the newspaper sullied DeWeese’s character by making readers think he was dishonest.
The suit claims that readers were given the impression that DeWeese lied to the Herald-Standard’s Editorial Board about his willingness to release documentation on how the Leadership Account was spent.
The lawsuit alleges that while DeWeese “indicated that he would probably release” the records of his own expenditures, he never “pledged” to release all records of the House Leadership Account, as asserted by the Herald-Standard in its comments beginning Sunday, June 3, 2001.
The lawsuit further alleges that DeWeese did provide an accounting of $10,354 in expenses for himself and his staff, incurred for transportation, lodging and meals.
However, according to the suit, notwithstanding this disclosure, the Herald-Standard continued to print its comments critical of DeWeese, falsely and maliciously “smearing” DeWeese by claiming he had failed to turn over for inspection receipts of his expenditures.
The suit also claims that the Herald-Standard’s referring to the Leadership Account as a “slush fund” also left readers with the impression that DeWeese was misappropriating funds and engaging in unethical, immoral and reprehensible conduct in office.
Because of the Herald-Standard’s “outrageous conduct,” DeWeese suffered embarrassment, humiliation and emotional distress, according to the suit.
Along with the Herald-Standard and Ellis, five John Does, referred to as unknown reporters, are named in the suit. DeWeese is seeking punitive damages in excess of $1 million and compensatory damages in excess of $50,000.
Charles Kelly, an attorney for the Herald-Standard, said that the newspaper is reviewing the DeWeese complaint and will respond to the allegations at a later date through appropriate court documents.