The Miami Herald says WFOR’s lawyers are making attempts to get reporter Gary Nelson removed from the defamation lawsuit filed by Miami-Dade police director Robert Parker.
The latest filing states Gary Nelson was “not the reporter assigned to the story” and that his only involvement with the whole thing is through him seeking Parker for a statement after the story aired and delivering the on-air apology on behalf of the station. WFOR’s counsel asserts that since Nelson wasn’t involved in the original reporting of the story he should be removed as defendant and the case moved to the federal court in Miami and not in state circuit court as Parker’s lawyers want.
MiamiHerald – Local TV newsman denies charge in defamation suit
CBS/Gary Nelson Counsel filing – Notice of filing removal from state court
That raises an interesting question: who was involved in the original reporting of the story?
Does CBS4’s legal argument mean they’re ready to throw someone else under the bus in an attempt to salvage Gary’s – in my opinion – good name?
Good name? That’s a joke!
Interesting,
That question has been asked several times on this blog and people who seem to work at Ch4 hem and haw and say “this is behind us”, “it’s the old manager’s fault”, “we apologized”, etc. But no one will tell us the truth. They won’t say who Deep Throat is on this story. They are still lying is what it amounts to.
Why does a news department that demands that people in our community answer to them won’t answer any questions when the tables are turned? They are hypocrites.
Maybe it was that little blonde guy that suddenly left for South America?
That’s my suspicion as well. It seems from the article that CBS4 is trying to remove Nelson from the suit not because they think he’s a nice guy (and he is), but because it would move jurisdiction of the suit to federal court, since the only defendant left would be CBS4 (owned in New York). For whatever reason (I would suspect it is venue), they want a federal case.
And it’s all too serendipitous – for him, at least – that shortly before all of this came to a head, another member of their reporting staff abruptly moved to South America. A reporter, I should add, who never shied from burnishing his extensive contacts at the same police department from which the defamation suit originated.
I think it is harder to sue in fed court than in state, that may be the reason. Lawyers don’t do things to be nice or courteous to anyone. The lawyers don’t care about Gary Nelson. All they care about is the size of the $ number they will scribble on the check to the cop and his son.
I think the little blonde headed girl in South America is to blame. That’s my bet.