Fetzer files libel suit against Wright


Tom Fetzer filed a libel lawsuit late Monday afternoon against a Wilmington radio host who forwarded an email insinuating that Fetzer was gay.

The suit seeks damages of $10,000 or more from Curtis Wright, the host of "The Morning Beat with Curtis Wright," as well as Sea-Comm, Inc., the corporate owner of WLTT, Curtis' employer, Sarah Ovaska reports.

Wright had forwarded an email that included allegations that Fetzer is gay, though Wright is not thought to be the author of the anonymous email, according to the lawsuit.

In the suit, Fetzer accuses Wright of concocting a smear campaign to thwart his campaign to lead the state Republican Party. Curtis, Fetzer claims in the suit, has endorsed Marcus Kindley from Guilford County for the position.

The lawsuit never mentions the word gay nor does it specify the potentially libelous statements. 

Fetzer and his attorneys wrote that Curtis spread rumors that "tend to charge Mr. Fetzer with a crime of offense involving moral turpitude, to charge Mr. Fetzer with dishonesty, to disgrace and degrade Mr. Fetzer, to hold Mr. Fetzer up to public ridicule and contempt, and to cause Mr. Fetzer to be avoided and shunned."

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Maybe

I'm trying to find out more about this, and eventually will. But in the meantime, I don't mind being a chump. It gives me ye olde moral high ground, from which it is always easier to strike.

Re: Wasn't aware of all that

Paul, we agree on little and mainly butt heads on similarities, like how you're wrong all the time and I'm always right.

Yet, I get what you're doing for Chad here, and appreciate your dedication to your misguided beliefs, proven wrong time and again, even by the democratic elections you hold so dear, yet lose so, so, SO badly.

That said and quite selfishly, I agree Fetzer needs nowhere near my opposition party. I like a challenge.

I can't keep Dems honest by myself, and Fetzer can't even be honest with himself, at least any more than you.

Re: Wasn't aware of all that

Wait a second. I am agreeing now with Gosh. Is the world upside down?

Politicaljunkee I could say to you what people have said to me about you. But you might get mad if i say it, LOL.

Re: Wasn't aware of all that

Goodness. What did the letter say exactly? Was there a voice over imitating Fetzer claiming "There is no God?" making it harder for him to lead the NCGOP which claimed suing over something as frivolous as that is an abuse of the court system and pure politics?

There's nice, then there's chump, James.

Do good. Be nice. Hold hypocritical SOB's accountable for their BS.

Wasn't aware of all that

The coverage has been all "gay this" and "gay that." If, as you say, the story is more ominous ... and more libelous ... well, that's a horse of a different color.

Sorry to be making light of something that seems, from your comment, rather serious. My apologies to other readers, and to Mr. Fetzer.

Suit yourself

I've seen the letter, it accuses Fetzer of much much more than being "gay".

If Paul Terrell or James would sign a contract forgoing their legal right to sue me and provide me with their home address, I would gladly send a similarly libelous anonymous letter to all of their neighbors (I doubt I could get a Raleigh area radio host to read it on the air but you might experience something similar if it appeared in the mailbox of enough neighbors).

I would be interested to see how many of your neighbors let their children within 500 feet of you after reading lies similar to the ones this work of fiction contained about Fetzer.

Re: Fetzer files libel suit against Wright

I agree that whether or not Fetzer is gay is completely irrelevant in this. What seems to be at play here is the demise of the old Lee Atwater brand of politics where rumors are suggested just enough to turn voters. These days, such tactics are going to be challenged. These radio hosts are not called into question enough for their content and political strategies. Instead of a Fairness Doctrine, we need a Truth Doctine which would fine someone in the media for misrepresenting facts.

Re: Hilarious!

I agree with James on this. If you are not secure in whatever you say you are. Then it is not someone else calling you a name that you need to be worried about.

James and I might take digs at each other, but at the end of the day we have got to earn the money to pay our bills and taxes. Someone calling me a name is not very high on my list of concerns.

Hilarious!

Someone called me gay yesterday. I considered it a compliment. There are no doubt dozens of good reasons to shun and avoid Mr. Fetzer. His alleged gayness, however, is not one of them. To my knowledge.

Re: Fetzer files libel suit against Wright

If I were the opposing party, I would examine Rule 11 sanctions for this frivolous lawsuit. Or do they really want to open discovery to allow the defense of truth to be examined?

Re: Fetzer files libel suit against Wright

In 2009, filing such a lawsuit may actually be more telling about what a filer thinks of gay people.