Paper, DeWeese settle lawsuit
State Rep. H. William DeWeese has dropped the libel lawsuit he filed against the Herald-Standard in 2002. According to the settlement agreement, DeWeese, D-Waynesburg, will be given space in the newspaper to write a column about the purpose of the lawsuit, and his legislative and reform efforts, both in general and specifically relating to open records laws.
The column is in today’s paper on B-2, the editorial page.
Herald-Standard Publisher Val J. Laub said he is pleased that DeWeese dropped the 6-year-old lawsuit.
“It was always about open records, and I now believe DeWeese and the press are on the same page going forward to improve taxpayer access to what we define as public records,” Laub said.
“Bill DeWeese has demonstrated his support of the open records legislation. I am happy to put the lawsuit behind us, and we look forward to a positive relationship with Rep. DeWeese from this point on,” Laub continued.
In his commentary, DeWeese indicates his support of the open records law, and said he worked alongside Rep. Tim Mahoney, D-South Union Township, to lead the House “in an open and honest debate about how to explain the commonwealth’s Right-to-Know Law.”
“This new open-records law, which for the first time includes the legislature, will provide the public with greater access to public records than at any time in Pennsylvania’s history,” DeWeese wrote.
DeWeese discusses other goals and objectives in the piece.
The Greene County legislator filed a defamation suit against the Herald-Standard in 2002. The suit claimed, in part, that the newspaper made unseemly assertions about DeWeese’s control of the discretionary leadership fund. The suit also asked for damages related to commentaries and editorials written about him between June 2001 and May 2002.
The suit named Calkins Media, former Herald-Standard executive editor Michael Ellis and five John Does.
Herald-Standard attorney Charles Kelly said throughout the suit that everyone believed DeWeese had agreed to make detailed records of the account available during an October 2000 editorial board.
DeWeese controlled the $12.5 million discretionary fund.
When no account details were released for about eight months, the Herald-Standard editorial page started featuring a caricature of DeWeese, counting the number of days he continued to renege on his agreement to do so.
The daily caricatures were accompanied by a few sentences that were editorial in nature.
The settlement agreement dismisses the case with prejudice, meaning DeWeese cannot file another suit making the same claims.
Kelly said that the settlement was an “excellent” resolution for the citizens of Fayette and Greene counties.
“The Herald-Standard’s central goal in all of its commentaries concerning Mr. DeWeese was to promote access to legislative records in the hopes of enhancing the quality of legislative practices. To the extent Mr. DeWeese is working to advance that goal, then a positive outcome has arisen from this exchange,” Kelly said.
In return, DeWeese has agreed to drop the suit, and release Calkins, Ellis and the Does from all civil responsibility.
The settlement does not include any admissions of liability by any party.
The agreement includes a stipulation that each side will bear its own costs for the suit.