Chesapeake Couple Sues Local Television Stations For Defamation

A couple from Chesapeake, Virginia has filed a defamation claim against two local television news stations. Defamation is essentially a false statement of fact that harms the plaintiff’s reputation in the community. Certain statements may constitute defamation per se, which would result in an automatic finding of liability if the plaintiff could prove that the defendant made the statement and that the statement was false. Accusing an innocent person of committing a criminal act may be considered defamation per se in Virginia.

The couple filed a lawsuit against WAVY-10 and its news affiliate Fox 43 seeking $5 million in damages for a story that aired approximately one year ago. The story reportedly claimed that the couple left $25,000 in unpaid debts when they sold the inventory for their event planning business. The couple claims that this report is false and that the news stations exaggerated the facts to create a sensational news story.

One local news source that is not the subject of lthis itigation reported that the couple felt that the defendant’s story gave “false implications that the couple had unlawfully converted or embezzled monetary deposits to customers and then fraudulently sold their business.” Neither station has responded to the suit, which was filed in the U.S. District Court last week.