Images/Associated Press, David Zalubowski)By Emma Dovi
John Stokes, a radio host for KGEZ AM radio in Kalispell, Montana has been found guilty of slander, according to the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. Davar Garder and his son Todd Gardner took Stokes to court claiming that he spoke falsely about them during his radio talk show. Stokes said during one of his shows that the father and son had lied under oath in previous litigation between Stokes and the Gardners and he also stated that the Gardners had committed bank fraud.
These comments were found to be defamatory and the Gardners were awarded by the Flathead County District Court "$3.8 million in compensatory and punitive damages, an amount that is one of the largest in Montana history, " says the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. This case was the result of another legal dispute that had resulted from fueding between Stokes and the Gardners about land ownership.
Stokes has had issues in the past in his community in Montana. Many local residents are unhappy with his point of view and remarks which have been said to be racist and anti-semitic. Some have even started a website speaking out against Stokes and his radio show: About the Facts: Promoting Democracy, Defending Human Rights. Despite community unpopularity, Stokes claims that this law suit and its results is a scary thing for the media and a direct restriction on freedom of speech.
These comments were found to be defamatory and the Gardners were awarded by the Flathead County District Court "$3.8 million in compensatory and punitive damages, an amount that is one of the largest in Montana history, " says the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. This case was the result of another legal dispute that had resulted from fueding between Stokes and the Gardners about land ownership.
Stokes has had issues in the past in his community in Montana. Many local residents are unhappy with his point of view and remarks which have been said to be racist and anti-semitic. Some have even started a website speaking out against Stokes and his radio show: About the Facts: Promoting Democracy, Defending Human Rights. Despite community unpopularity, Stokes claims that this law suit and its results is a scary thing for the media and a direct restriction on freedom of speech.
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