POWERFUL LAWMAKER TAKES US TO COURT …
|| By FITSNEWS || Former “Republican” majority leader Kenny Bingham made good on his threat and filed a lawsuit in Lexington County, S.C. this week against this website’s parent company and its founding editor, Will Folks.
Details of the lawsuit were not immediately available and Bingham, not surprisingly, did not respond to our request for a comment.
As we noted in our coverage of the forthcoming suit, Bingham is reportedly upset over this website’s coverage of an ethics complaint filed against him last year.
The complaint – filed by libertarian activist Colin Ross – accuses Bingham of using his position of influence to enrich himself and his company, American Engineering Consultants, Inc. Specifically, the complaint delves into Bingham’s advocacy on behalf of a tax credit deal for Amazon – as well as contract Bingham’s firm has received from various municipal governments and the University of South Carolina.
Ironically, Bingham published an opinion piece on this website during the Amazon debate. In fact FITS has repeatedly extended invitations to him to comment on various policy matters impacting state government.
One of those invitations was extended just three months ago …
We’re clearly out to get the guy, right?
Bingham is chairman of the S.C. House “Ethics” Committee – (one of two corrupt, self-policing legislative committees at the S.C. State House).
What do we mean by “self-policing?” Easy: Lawmakers get to determine themselves whether they broke the law, an infinitely corrupt arrangement that (not surprisingly) leads to all sorts of cover-ups and whitewashes.
As we noted in our prior report, Bingham has retained prominent tort lawyer John E. Parker of Hampton, S.C. for the purpose of bringing the action.
Hampton, incidentally, has been repeatedly “honored” by the American Tort Reform Association (ATRA) as one of the United States’ most infamous “judicial hellholes” – a.k.a. homes to frivolous litigation.
Which seems apropos …
Bingham is no fan of criticism. In fact here’s a video clip of him responding to a citizen who dared to question him on a state retirement issue a few years back …
(Click to play)
(Vid: Via)
Bingham does have one fan, though.
According to blogger Charlie Speight, Bingham is going to mop the floor with our founding editor.
“Will Folks has exercised his particular brand of dumbassery to the limit and, standing there waiting for him is Kenny Bingham,” he wrote this week. ” Bingham can’t be intimidated and, clearly, he doesn’t fear anything Folks might print about him. Will Folks is about to get the FITS stomped out of him.”
Well, well …
Guess we’ll find out soon enough, won’t we?
684 comments
FITS already back-peddling, trying to show he loves Rep, Bingham….
That won’t mean a thing in the courts…as it relates to the evidence the plaintiff has on you…..and not a good sign if you’re FITS’ defense team…
My, my …how that bravado has waned….I’m not nancy-pelosi-ed by that, at all(surprised)….LMAO…anyone else…
Why can’t he stomp the shit out of GrandTango or Pogo in the courtroom? That would be beneficial to the collective human race. I guess they know there’s no money to be made from suing trailer trash.
No…you asked for it…quit trying to run from who you are..and what you did. Typical Coward liberal…try to blame er’body else…when your handiwork manifests…LMAO…
I have done nothing to Fits.Hope he survives this.Him and his business.
You don’t deny being “trailer trash”, then, pogo?
Condescension is the sincerest form of assholery.
Hate to see anyone sued,especially those with a family… however I am very surprised Fits and Will apparently don’t take this seriously….I guess it will work itself out…weird Boz is such a integral part of contributing on Fits just like he was on TSN and they BOTH get sued…best to Fits on this…enjoy the blog…
An Horry County jury ruled in favor of Myrtle Beach area lobbyist Mark Kelley against The Sun News and investigative reporter David Wren on claims Kelley was defamed in articles written in 2010 about campaign contributions made a year earlier.
The jury awarded $400,000 in actual damages and $250,000 in punitive damages against the newspaper and Wren. The jury deliberated for more than four hours before reaching unanimous verdicts on the two types of damages.
Kelley filed the suit in May 2012 against Wren and The Sun Publishing Co., seeking actual damages to compensate for “his loss of and/or damage to his good name, his personal and business reputation,” according to the suit.
He declined to comment about the verdict after the trial.
“We are, of course, disappointed with the jury’s verdict and continue to stand by the reporting of David Wren and the journalistic ethics of The Sun News,” said Carolyn Callison Murray, editor and vice president of the newspaper. Attorneys will make post-trial arguments before the judge on Monday and the news organization will decide after that whether to appeal the ruling, she said.
The trial began Monday afternoon with opening statements and testimony, which often hinged on issues of grammar, and continued through Wednesday evening.
The judge ruled before testimony began that Kelley is a public figure, which meant the jury had to determine that actual malice was involved on the part of the reporter and newspaper.
The articles dealt with a June 2009 luncheon attended by Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Brad Dean, Kelley, then-S.C. gubernatorial candidate Gresham Barrett and a Barrett campaign staff member. At the luncheon, Dean presented Barrett with an envelope containing $84,000 in campaign donations, most of which were on sequentially numbered checks from LLCs (Limited Liability Corporations) drawn on the same bank.
Kelley said the wording of the articles, which appeared in May 2010, accused him of violating state ethics laws that prohibit lobbyists from soliciting or handling campaign donations for statewide candidates.
In his testimony Monday, Kelley said he was unaware that Dean planned to give Barrett the donations. Kelley said he would have attended the luncheon because of his friendship with Barrett, but knew that as a lobbyist he is not allowed to handle or distribute campaign funds.
“I want you to tell them [The Sun News] to quit taking their pen and using it as a sword and slashing the flesh of a reputation,” Kelley’s attorney, Jim Stevens, said during his closing statement Thursday morning.
Attorney Jay Bender, who represented Wren and the newspaper, reminded jurors in his closing remarks that Kelley’s witness, Ethics Commission deputy director and attorney Cathy Hazelwood, testified that an email forwarded April 25, 2010, from Kelley that included a solicitation for funds for Barrett was an ethics violation.
In her testimony, she also said Wren quoted her opinion correctly in his articles in which she said Kelley did not violate any rules by attending the luncheon.
Stevens told jurors that the FBI and IRS investigated the contributions and no arrests have been made or indictments issued in the case.
“I submit to you that the IRS and FBI are better investigators than David Wren,” Stevens said. “David Wren and The Sun News has a duty to report the truth, not lies or fabrications. Fact: David Wren’s articles were understood by the public. … And they understood it to accuse Mark Kelley of a crime.”
Bender told jurors that the newspaper and Wren had been reporting on a series of campaign contributions and were seeking to determine where the money, including that distributed at the luncheon, came from.
Kelley’s reputation was not harmed, Bender told the jury. He had kept his same job with the same clients and has since received a raise from Coastal Carolina University for his work as a lobbyist.
He asked jurors to read the articles in their entirety and they would see the accounts did not defame Kelley or his reputation.
“What’s the role of a newspaper in society? It’s to look into dark places,” Bender said. “We think sometimes people buy influence they are not entitled to.”
Read more here: http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/news/local/article16666328.html#storylink=cpy
If he has damaged this man, justice should prevail…We all suffer when justice is trampled…
I can agree with that.This should be interesting.
Would you please link to the published opinion, on Justia, or a similar site, of an appellate court stating the current disposition of the appeal of the Kelley v Wren et. al. verdict? You and GT seriously need to do that, if you are going to keep posting as though there were case law based on the verdict. Not doing so would seriously damage the credibility of both of you.
No, wait …
An Horry County jury ruled in favor of Myrtle Beach area lobbyist Mark Kelley against The Sun News and investigative reporter David Wren on claims Kelley was defamed in articles written in 2010 about campaign contributions made a year earlier.
The jury awarded $400,000 in actual damages and $250,000 in punitive damages against the newspaper and Wren. The jury deliberated for more than four hours before reaching unanimous verdicts on the two types of damages.
Kelley filed the suit in May 2012 against Wren and The Sun Publishing Co., seeking actual damages to compensate for “his loss of and/or damage to his good name, his personal and business reputation,” according to the suit.
Read more here: http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/news/local/article16666328.html#storylink=cpy
10-4
AGAIN, would you please link to the published opinion, on Justia, Findlaw, or a similar site — or via Lexus/Nexis search — of an appellate court stating the current disposition of the appeal of the Kelley v Wren et. al. verdict?
You will, of course, find that it is not even at that point yet. And that not one penny has been paid to Kelley.
Your scare tactics on behalf of Bingham will only work if people don’t know the truth, whole truth, and nothing but the truth.
Which, of course, you spineless weasel trolls will NOT report.
I KNOW RIGHT, LMAO, FITS IS GOING DOWN. I FUCKING HATE FREEDOM OF THE PRESS. EVERYONE KNOWS THE FOUNDING FATHERS WERE WORRIED WHAT WOULD HAPPEN TO LAWMAKERS OF JOURNALISTS EVER RAN STORIES ABOUT THEM
Used to be don’t pick a fight with a guy who buys his paper by the ton, and his ink by the gallon. Now it’s don’t pick a fight with a guy who pays his hosting fees on time and has a strong following.
Do you hate the right to equal protection under the law, too???….
Looks like the Cockroaches have circled the wagons and this time Ward Bond ain’t the Wagonmaster
Hats off to Cockroach King of Fop, living proof that the biggest turd does indeed pop to the top
Would like to think that if I had been around at the time I would have put my money on Crazy Horse – this time I will put my money on skippy –
Fuck you Bingham and Fuck the Horse you rode in on
LMAO…I LOVE seeing your ignorant little leftist @$$ so P!$$#d…
I don’t care WHAT this trial yields…I want to see you crying…and understanding that there are laws to protect the innocent against accusatory little @$$-holes like you…
#$$% Wednesday PM at )^&$%# right off I-26
Make sure %$# bring &^$&& to *) to &@!? your ^&%$$
Hadn’t heard mention of Charlie Speight in a while. Where has he been?
The chocolate waterfall over at the Golden Corral.
+10
Sir? Sir! Sir! You can’t put your head under that, you might drown!
Government Oversight and Accountability are Oxymorons!
Will the trial reveal WHO funds this hate-attack site????…
Anyone think Sanford may be S#!tt!ng a brick about now…What about Tom Ervin or ‘Pootlian…
This will be Great Courtroom…Pleas give us the trial date as soon as possible…
Yah, right. Sanford funds a site that constantly attacks him. One of the dumbest things you’ve ever said on here.
Good point…Looks like he may have cut FITS loose w/ this libel suit……
If all he is doing is suing you over your coverage of that Ethics Complaint, I don’t see it getting very far. Truth is an absolute defense, as you undoubtedly know, and you reporting on what the ethics complaint SAYS (as opposed to you accusing Bingham directly of such actions) is the truth.
Even if you did specifically accuse Bingham of some nefarious activity, he’s obviously a public figure and therefore, has an extremely high threshold to meet. Good luck to him proving you knew what you were saying was untrue.
Sounds lie your prayer is saturated w/ a bunch of VERY worried wishful thinking…
This attorney ain’t no ambulance chaser, like the ones paying FITS to publish Bull-$#!t…
I bet there is LOTS to go after FITS for…
Actually, it’s saturated with the law.
Really? …did they already have the trial and missed it…or are you a Dumb@$$ liar????…LMAO…Because I thought the law is vetted in the courts, not by liberal wishes on a public forum…
DId you miss out on the law classes in journalism school, or just fail them?
I know the libel law VERY well…And I know truth is a defense…and it is CAUSE…
That’s what should scare the H#!! out of you, if you have even half a brain…
It’s true. He applied at The State – three times.
The State doesn’t hire functional retards, what a surprise.
Do you not understand that the law regarding defamation and slander exists today, and will be applied to this lawsuit?
Yeah, I guess you’re right…why don’t you go tell Rep. Bingham that…and maybe he’ll drop the suit based on your recommendation….Dumb@$$…LMAO….
YA SERIOUSLY, THE LAW ISNT THERE TO DEFEND PEOPLE. WHAT A DUMBASS LMAO
Lots of dog go after rolling tires on trucks, too, but I’ve never seen a single dog fetch one.
First amendment. This one’s not going anywhere.
You better go rub that Voo-Doo doll…because the people filing the suit are lot F*#king smarter than you….
And not only that, they’re 9 million times smarter than – – – – – look in mirror. And if he’s such a hot shot attorney, why in the name of creation is he living in – Hampton.
He’s actually an excellent attorney. His whole firm is based in Hampton because the juries there give out gobs of money. His firm is the reason Hampton doesn’t have a Wal-Mart or a lot of other large corporations because until recently a plaintiff could file suit in any county in which a corporate defendant had a presence, i.e., a store.
Thank you, that was very informative. But here’s my question – what does a jury in Hampton have to do with this – because he filed in Lexington County.
Already worried about a Lexington County jury…that might have Big T on it???…LMAO…
Can I sign up for JURY DUTY???…Should I call Kenny’s attorney and volunteer…???…LMAO…
Dude, you’de be disqualified as hostile in about 2 seconds. Then after everyone stopped laughing at you, they’d go back to the selection process.
They’d NEVER know how I feel during the interview….LMAO…
Quoted for Truth and deletion prevention.
GrandTango Rocky • 22 minutes ago
Already worried about a Lexington County jury…that might have Big T on it???…LMAO…
Can I sign up for JURY DUTY???…Should I call Kenny’s attorney and volunteer…???…LMAO…
GrandTango Rocky Waitin’ on Gervais • 10 minutes ago
They’d NEVER know how I feel during the interview….LMAO…
Conspircy to commit perjury is felony. Perjury is a felony.
Perjury? What’s that? I’m too stupid to know what discovery is, so don’t assume I have a basic knowledge of the justice system.
Desperately reach for S#!t much???…LMAO….
FITS said he ‘ain’t skeered’…his Dumb@$$ sure are S#!tt!*g your pants…
Wait, let me get this straight: Did GT actually post, on a public form, that he would perjure himself? And this clown actually thinks he’s helping Bingham?
Will knows who GrandTango is, too, as well as some of the commenters here, so this bit of evidence is very damning if GrandTango made it as a juror.
GrandTango is so fucking dumb he hasn’t even a clue that the other jurors must vote his way or it doesn’t mean jack. This guy is D-U-M-B, him and Pogo both.
Yes. And yes.
You just posted it idiot – they’d all know you who you are. They’d have this post. God your so stupid some days.
Hostile? He wouldn’t even get that far. They don’t let people be jury members if they are mentally incompetent.
the thought — of being sequestered — in a motel room — in pelion — for ten weeks — with gt ? (shuddering !!)
Yeah, one Dumb@$$ comment..and I’d be liable to kick some liberal’s @$$…LMAO…Y’all are not used to pushback…are you??…I’d probably scare the S#!t out of you….LMAO…
(uuuh), I’m concerned at this moment of what your idea of “pushback” in a motel room is…..
Nothing at all. I was merely responding to the question of why Parker was in Hampton.
He’s VERY SUCCESSFUL, and powerful then…thank you for letting me know that….I expect that streak will continue w/ the Bingham suit…LMAO….
You’re cracking Rocky…I LOVE IT…I knew this would happen…eventually…LMAO…
I’m not cracking. Now, when the SCOTUS upholds the subsidies for Obama-rama-care and FITS prevails, I will be very, very worried about you.
YOU TELL EM, ANYONE WHO THINKS WERE STILL PROTECTED BY THE CONSTITUTION MUST BE SOME KINDA LIBTARD
I just want to see justice…and we already know enough to know what that will perpetuate…
Kinda funny we have 40 comments in just a few minutes and not ONE says ‘a public figure can’t sue for libel’…my how things have changed….
anyone can sue for libel…a public figure has an extremely high bar to meet in order to recover, though.
They can sue…and win…Mark Kelley is a public figure, and he was awarded more than $600K…against a FAR more credible, and experienced, news organization than FITS…
Yep
Would you please link to the published opinion, on Justia, or a similar site, of an appellate court stating the current disposition of the appeal of the Kelley v Wren et. al. verdict? You and pogo seriously need to do that, if you are going to keep posting as though there were case law based on the verdict. Not doing so would seriously damage the credibility of both of you.
No, wait …
Dude, you and Utah are wasting your time with them. Flip is pretty good, but GT has about as much brains as a dead armadillo on I-95 after the vultures have eaten the head. He’s about the noise, not the content. If you’re looking for him to be rational – you’re looking in the wrong place. He’d be a great character witness though – once you got him on the stand he’d start jumping up and down like a monkey, flinging crap, shouting out about gay sex, and calling everyone a dumb@$$. He knows a lot about libel and such, he applied for a job at The State three times.
An Horry County jury ruled in favor of Myrtle Beach area lobbyist Mark Kelley against The Sun News and investigative reporter David Wren on claims Kelley was defamed in articles written in 2010 about campaign contributions made a year earlier.
The jury awarded $400,000 in actual damages and $250,000 in punitive damages against the newspaper and Wren. The jury deliberated for more than four hours before reaching unanimous verdicts on the two types of damages.
Kelley filed the suit in May 2012 against Wren and The Sun Publishing Co., seeking actual damages to compensate for “his loss of and/or damage to his good name, his personal and business reputation,” according to the suit.
Read more here: http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/news/local/article16666328.html#storylink=cpy
ok
Citation, please, on final disposition. In other words, where does the case stand in the appeal process. Stop pretending the defendants have had to pay up. They have not.
STOP you BS care tactics on behalf of Bingham.
your BS scare tactics, rather.
God you are dumb, no one is saying he can’t sue, but only a moron would think this guy has a snowballs chance in hell.
Hello moron!
NO SOME KIND OF DUMB@$$ LIBTARD MUSLIM LOVER
You go Wil – it’s called Freedom of Speech and Freedom of the Press for a reason. Reading your past coverage – I find it hard to find anywhere in the articles anything that would have caused the gentleman any damage. And none of it is unatrributed. Since he will need to demonstrate intent and damage, I would think he’s sort of fishing in an empty hole.
FITS…you Dumb@$$…That video HURTS you…
Rep. Bingham stood up and defended the attack…you don’t like it because it was likely one of your minions pulling some Bull-S#!t…and Bingham ripped him another one…You are not used to getting an answer back, except from me…
But if Bingham chews your A$$ like he did that Dumb@$$ …you better grease up…you’re going to get your @$$ REAMED!!!!…
PS: I thought it was Hilarious that those dolts started calling Bingham rude, after he Slapped the S#!t out of the questioner…
That’s what a man does…and it p!$$#$ you cowards off when someone stands up to you…and that’s what Bingham is doing w/ this suit…
Yes, I fiind it very important for elected officials to slap the crap out constituents. Here’s to hoping your State Senator kicks the crap out of you. ‘Cause I’m getting tired of having to do it daily.
They are not obligated to sit there and take S#!t from idiots…he answered very well,. He is against TERI…he just said the questioner was operating on myths. like a lot of FITS-minions do…
And he explained it very assertively..
, like that guy do, is make it harder to attack the REAL problems…because you go around spreading rumors, based on your ignorance (see FITS)…That does more harm than good…Dumb@$$#$, like that guy do, is make it harder to attack the REAL problems…because you go around spreading rumors, based on your ignorance (see FITS)…That does more harm than good…
Like we’re not obligated to take your $hit – right dumb@$$.
I bet that idiot who got reamed was you, wasn’t it????…LMAO…
^^^ This is why your kin do not invite you over for Thanksgiving.
Is it also why Rep. Bingham get reelected by the PEOPLE?
The best thing about civil lawsuits? Discovery! Have at it!
VERY Intriguing…can you expound please????
Awwwwww …. you don’t have your own copy of the SC Rules of Court? Pffft!
Expound what? Do you even know what discovery is? It is more than a TV channel you nimrod.
Little Peter, I get more than one channel of Discovery? I get Discovery Science, History,an Aviation. So please explain what channel u are speaking of???
In other words, Folks will be able to discover anything relevant to the statement about Bingham, including whether it is true. He can also discovery all the evidence he can find about Bingham’s reputation for honesty. In most libel cases, discovery reveals that the allegedly libelous statement is true, which is an absolute defense, and the case goes away. Ask General Westmoreland, Ariel Sharon, or Oscar Wilde. Filing a libel suit while there is other ongoing litigation is a truly stupid mover, since Will can coordinate with Ross to give him all the evidence needed to sustain his separate lawsuit against Bingham.
An Horry County jury ruled in favor of Myrtle Beach area lobbyist Mark Kelley against The Sun News and investigative reporter David Wren on claims Kelley was defamed in articles written in 2010 about campaign contributions made a year earlier.
The jury awarded $400,000 in actual damages and $250,000 in punitive damages against the newspaper and Wren. The jury deliberated for more than four hours before reaching unanimous verdicts on the two types of damages.
Kelley filed the suit in May 2012 against Wren and The Sun Publishing Co., seeking actual damages to compensate for “his loss of and/or damage to his good name, his personal and business reputation,” according to the suit.
He declined to comment about the verdict after the trial.
“We are, of course, disappointed with the jury’s verdict and continue to stand by the reporting of David Wren and the journalistic ethics of The Sun News,” said Carolyn Callison Murray, editor and vice president of the newspaper. Attorneys will make post-trial arguments before the judge on Monday and the news organization will decide after that whether to appeal the ruling, she said.
The trial began Monday afternoon with opening statements and testimony, which often hinged on issues of grammar, and continued through Wednesday evening.
The judge ruled before testimony began that Kelley is a public figure, which meant the jury had to determine that actual malice was involved on the part of the reporter and newspaper.
The articles dealt with a June 2009 luncheon attended by Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Brad Dean, Kelley, then-S.C. gubernatorial candidate Gresham Barrett and a Barrett campaign staff member. At the luncheon, Dean presented Barrett with an envelope containing $84,000 in campaign donations, most of which were on sequentially numbered checks from LLCs (Limited Liability Corporations) drawn on the same bank.
Kelley said the wording of the articles, which appeared in May 2010, accused him of violating state ethics laws that prohibit lobbyists from soliciting or handling campaign donations for statewide candidates.
In his testimony Monday, Kelley said he was unaware that Dean planned to give Barrett the donations. Kelley said he would have attended the luncheon because of his friendship with Barrett, but knew that as a lobbyist he is not allowed to handle or distribute campaign funds.
“I want you to tell them [The Sun News] to quit taking their pen and using it as a sword and slashing the flesh of a reputation,” Kelley’s attorney, Jim Stevens, said during his closing statement Thursday morning.
Attorney Jay Bender, who represented Wren and the newspaper, reminded jurors in his closing remarks that Kelley’s witness, Ethics Commission deputy director and attorney Cathy Hazelwood, testified that an email forwarded April 25, 2010, from Kelley that included a solicitation for funds for Barrett was an ethics violation.
In her testimony, she also said Wren quoted her opinion correctly in his articles in which she said Kelley did not violate any rules by attending the luncheon.
Stevens told jurors that the FBI and IRS investigated the contributions and no arrests have been made or indictments issued in the case.
“I submit to you that the IRS and FBI are better investigators than David Wren,” Stevens said. “David Wren and The Sun News has a duty to report the truth, not lies or fabrications. Fact: David Wren’s articles were understood by the public. … And they understood it to accuse Mark Kelley of a crime.”
Bender told jurors that the newspaper and Wren had been reporting on a series of campaign contributions and were seeking to determine where the money, including that distributed at the luncheon, came from.
Kelley’s reputation was not harmed, Bender told the jury. He had kept his same job with the same clients and has since received a raise from Coastal Carolina University for his work as a lobbyist.
He asked jurors to read the articles in their entirety and they would see the accounts did not defame Kelley or his reputation.
“What’s the role of a newspaper in society? It’s to look into dark places,” Bender said. “We think sometimes people buy influence they are not entitled to.”
Read more here: http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/news/local/article16666328.html#storylink=cpy
huh?
Please show us, with a link, where the appeal process has been exhausted, and where the defendants have had to pay one penny to Kelley.
We’re still waiting.
Did you get somebody else SUED, Boz?
Can’t show, it, can you, chump? Can’t show it because it does not exist.
Counterclaim his stupid ass.
Not a lawyer I take it…but a Dumb@$$, I see…
I really don’t think you want to P!$$ off the Representative any more than you already have…You might better pull a Jimmy Metts, plead guilty and throw yourself on the mercy of the court…
Can you imagine how much this will cost FITS…and chances are, he’ll lose any way…????
Get clue … you are going to be in jail soon anyway. HAHAHHAHAAHAHAHA!!!
Channelling Hitler again???…LMAO…
More on this, please and thank you.
Bingham and his lawyer to be charged with barratry?
Isn’t that BARRETry?;)
Mr. Banks (ethics commission) waited until I had gone to the other end of the room before he mumbled something about a “nuisance” lawsuit. A spineless individual he is. So, the response I got in the mail didn’t address the basis of my complaint. Instead, it directed me to other entities. (those lies recorded on audio tape)
Point being: my experience was a reflection on the character of Bingham and associates in ethics commission (worthless POS).
That was you speaking on the video then, where Kennay went off on you?
No, different occasion.
Don’t know a thing about the lawsuit. But, Bingham is a public figure so in order for him to prevail, he will have to climb a very steep hill.
Yeppers …. case law is clear on that.
Unless there is malice. Then you cowards are dead meat.
Everything post by fits does not muster the test of being done with malice. Check your law.
Quite correct.
An Horry County jury ruled in favor of Myrtle Beach area lobbyist Mark Kelley against The Sun News and investigative reporter David Wren on claims Kelley was defamed in articles written in 2010 about campaign contributions made a year earlier.
The jury awarded $400,000 in actual damages and $250,000 in punitive damages against the newspaper and Wren. The jury deliberated for more than four hours before reaching unanimous verdicts on the two types of damages.
Kelley filed the suit in May 2012 against Wren and The Sun Publishing Co., seeking actual damages to compensate for “his loss of and/or damage to his good name, his personal and business reputation,” according to the suit.
He declined to comment about the verdict after the trial.
“We are, of course, disappointed with the jury’s verdict and continue to stand by the reporting of David Wren and the journalistic ethics of The Sun News,” said Carolyn Callison Murray, editor and vice president of the newspaper. Attorneys will make post-trial arguments before the judge on Monday and the news organization will decide after that whether to appeal the ruling, she said.
The trial began Monday afternoon with opening statements and testimony, which often hinged on issues of grammar, and continued through Wednesday evening.
The judge ruled before testimony began that Kelley is a public figure, which meant the jury had to determine that actual malice was involved on the part of the reporter and newspaper.
The articles dealt with a June 2009 luncheon attended by Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Brad Dean, Kelley, then-S.C. gubernatorial candidate Gresham Barrett and a Barrett campaign staff member. At the luncheon, Dean presented Barrett with an envelope containing $84,000 in campaign donations, most of which were on sequentially numbered checks from LLCs (Limited Liability Corporations) drawn on the same bank.
Kelley said the wording of the articles, which appeared in May 2010, accused him of violating state ethics laws that prohibit lobbyists from soliciting or handling campaign donations for statewide candidates.
In his testimony Monday, Kelley said he was unaware that Dean planned to give Barrett the donations. Kelley said he would have attended the luncheon because of his friendship with Barrett, but knew that as a lobbyist he is not allowed to handle or distribute campaign funds.
“I want you to tell them [The Sun News] to quit taking their pen and using it as a sword and slashing the flesh of a reputation,” Kelley’s attorney, Jim Stevens, said during his closing statement Thursday morning.
Attorney Jay Bender, who represented Wren and the newspaper, reminded jurors in his closing remarks that Kelley’s witness, Ethics Commission deputy director and attorney Cathy Hazelwood, testified that an email forwarded April 25, 2010, from Kelley that included a solicitation for funds for Barrett was an ethics violation.
In her testimony, she also said Wren quoted her opinion correctly in his articles in which she said Kelley did not violate any rules by attending the luncheon.
Stevens told jurors that the FBI and IRS investigated the contributions and no arrests have been made or indictments issued in the case.
“I submit to you that the IRS and FBI are better investigators than David Wren,” Stevens said. “David Wren and The Sun News has a duty to report the truth, not lies or fabrications. Fact: David Wren’s articles were understood by the public. … And they understood it to accuse Mark Kelley of a crime.”
Bender told jurors that the newspaper and Wren had been reporting on a series of campaign contributions and were seeking to determine where the money, including that distributed at the luncheon, came from.
Kelley’s reputation was not harmed, Bender told the jury. He had kept his same job with the same clients and has since received a raise from Coastal Carolina University for his work as a lobbyist.
He asked jurors to read the articles in their entirety and they would see the accounts did not defame Kelley or his reputation.
“What’s the role of a newspaper in society? It’s to look into dark places,” Bender said. “We think sometimes people buy influence they are not entitled to.”
Read more here: http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/news/local/article16666328.html#storylink=cpy
Clean your room Mike.
Please post updated data on the appeals process en re THIS CASE. You will find it is still not finished.
Don’t count your chickens before they are hatched, fool.
There IS no case law on that, where the Sun News is concerned. It is at a certain stage of the appeal process. It could be years before it even goes before a judge. GT and pogo (fc) keep pushing this as though it were settle law. It is far from it. Don’t be fooled by this nonsense, anyone reading these words.
Go ask The Sun News about that….
Would you please link to the published opinion, on Justia, or a similar site, of an appellate court stating the current disposition of the appeal of the Kelley v Wren et. al. verdict? You and fc seriously need to do that, if you are going to keep posting as though there were case law based on the verdict. Not doing so would seriously damage the credibility of both of you.
No, wait …
I bounced it. In Canada.
Sun News: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ezra-levant-sun-news-network-host-ordered-to-pay-80-000-in-libel-case-1.2853107
BOGUS … SPURIOUS .. ERSATZ … NON-GENUINE …
Did I mention it was FAKE????
“Sun Media” of Canada has no connection whatsoever the TSN of Myrtle Beach, and the case in question is not related in any way.
This shows your desperation, however, in trying to strike fear in people’s hearts over expressing their opinions on public figures.
You are the one that strikes fear in people’s hearts with your false and libelous comments.Ask ANY public official in Horry County.
They are a superstitious, cowardly lot …
After someone sent another source I realized it was Sun New Published NOT media, which is also referred to as Sun News and is went out of business in 2015.
You can chill now Zed.
You tell ‘im!
No. Garbage was making a joke. Lighten up.
Sconset,
And you and every internet troll coward uses that to libel elected officials at every chance.
Anonymous internet troll is the lowest form of life on the planets.
Making up crap and posting it is a cowards way.
His being a public figure will make it more difficult, but hard to imagine why such a high profile Attorney would take Rep. Bingham’s case, unless they feel they can prevail.
You don’t understand how money works. I can easily hire a lawyer to sue Walmart for having a trashy parking lot and cluttered aisles, claiming it is trigging PTSD. Every lawyers has a team of paid whores, dontcha know? Remember how much Bobby Harrell paid (out of his campaign funds) for his criminal defense? And he still LOST!
How much is FITS going to be out of pocket to see his day in court? Does he have the ability to keep an attorney retained the duration? Even if he wins, it’s going to hurt. Attorney’s aren’t cheap.
That’s why you carry insurance.
Insurance.
How does a Blog Site get Legal Insurance? And what are the limits?
Ask Tango – I’m sure he knows.
Funny.
Asked like an underpaid lawyer.
Answered like a true politician.
If the demos don’t pony up, the conservatives will. Dirty, dirty in the state house is every bodies business.
Yeah, but even if Will were shagging the governor, those ‘ho’s still won’t stop disclosures of financial hanky panky by the former speaker … All of which will make FITS/Willy a national celebrity … and triple ad rates ;-><
I’m betting that “high profile” Shriner won’t hang for the final act.
… and the horse he road in on.
“Will Folks has exercised his particular brand of dumbassery to the limit and, standing there waiting for him is Kenny Bingham,”
Here’s the irony of the Fatman’s comments:
On his site, he bitches about Will using anonymous sources, “He will quote unnamed sources and suggest intimate knowledge of the inner workings of state politics.”
Then he goes on to say, “One Representative is known around the State House to have paid Folks thousands of dollars to post positive items about him as a means to enhance his gubernatorial prospects in 2018.
Some in public service are rumored to pay Folks NOT to publish potentially damaging articles.”
And who would that be to back up your claim Fatman? ANONYMOUS SOURCES?!?!
What a dumbshit. I have a hard time beleiving he was ever an actual spy, but if he was, he must have studied under Maxwell Smart.
You people sure are busting your @$$ to try to keep FITS out of court, and try this case on this forum…
Don’t all innocent people say: I want my day in court…why are you so afraid of presenting your case, in front of a judge and jury???
Seems like you’d welcome the chance if Bingham is so frivolous…
What happened to your famous website? Why was it taken down?
He got tired of talking to himself… rumor has it he was starting out every article with “Dear Diary, I don’t understand why F%CK$N& people don’t like me… LMAO”
The Irony…Oh…The irony…LMFAO….!!!!!
Well? What happened to it? Cat got your tongue? Yeah … you’re a pussy ass loser ….. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAAHHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAH, yyou dumb fuck.
Lose your grip on reality much??…LMAO….
Poor Tango have no more website. Boo Hooooooo. Tango want a lolly pop to make it all better? Btw, did anyone ever tell you that you have pretty lips?
Leave me alone crazy person.
Too late for that…Dumb@$$…You ordered a can of A$$-Whoopin’…and now it’s coming…Sucks to be your Stupid @$$…LMAO…
LMAO!! LMAO!! LMAO!!
Who is laughing now?
We all are.
LMAO!! LMAO!!
You have only yourself to blame for the drivel people direct at you.
Mr. Irrelevant himself surfaces…You ought to be ashamed for prodding FITS along..and making him F*#k up like this…..he does it for dolts like you…
And where is that F*#king idiot Saluda Rapids…I bet that ignorant B@$t@*d is under suicide watch…LMAO…
He looks like such a Stupid F*#k…LMAO…
So true!
GrandTango is a dumb fuck. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAA!!!!
Implode much???…LMAO…
From the EFF reference bloggers and libel law:
Is there a difference between reporting on public and private figures?
Yes. A private figure claiming defamation—your neighbor, your roommate, the guy who walks his dog by your favorite coffee shop—only has to prove you acted negligently, which is to say that a “reasonable person” would not have published the defamatory statement.
A public figure must show “actual malice”—that you published with either knowledge of falsity or in reckless disregard for the truth. This is a difficult standard for a plaintiff to meet.
Is Rep. Bingham resigning?
Doesn’t matter. Has nothing to do with the actual question.
No.He is the just the one that filed the civil suit and has nothing to do with it.You really are stupid.
It might matter? He will no longer be a public figure. I am wondering why now?
Doesn’t matter whether or not he’s a public figure after resigning (if he does so). All of this is about what has taken place while he has served as a “pubic servant” and was obviously a public figure.
An Horry County jury ruled in favor of Myrtle Beach area lobbyist Mark Kelley against The Sun News and investigative reporter David Wren on claims Kelley was defamed in articles written in 2010 about campaign contributions made a year earlier.
The jury awarded $400,000 in actual damages and $250,000 in punitive damages against the newspaper and Wren. The jury deliberated for more than four hours before reaching unanimous verdicts on the two types of damages.
Kelley filed the suit in May 2012 against Wren and The Sun Publishing Co., seeking actual damages to compensate for “his loss of and/or damage to his good name, his personal and business reputation,” according to the suit.
He declined to comment about the verdict after the trial.
“We are, of course, disappointed with the jury’s verdict and continue to stand by the reporting of David Wren and the journalistic ethics of The Sun News,” said Carolyn Callison Murray, editor and vice president of the newspaper. Attorneys will make post-trial arguments before the judge on Monday and the news organization will decide after that whether to appeal the ruling, she said.
The trial began Monday afternoon with opening statements and testimony, which often hinged on issues of grammar, and continued through Wednesday evening.
The judge ruled before testimony began that Kelley is a public figure, which meant the jury had to determine that actual malice was involved on the part of the reporter and newspaper.
The articles dealt with a June 2009 luncheon attended by Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Brad Dean, Kelley, then-S.C. gubernatorial candidate Gresham Barrett and a Barrett campaign staff member. At the luncheon, Dean presented Barrett with an envelope containing $84,000 in campaign donations, most of which were on sequentially numbered checks from LLCs (Limited Liability Corporations) drawn on the same bank.
Kelley said the wording of the articles, which appeared in May 2010, accused him of violating state ethics laws that prohibit lobbyists from soliciting or handling campaign donations for statewide candidates.
In his testimony Monday, Kelley said he was unaware that Dean planned to give Barrett the donations. Kelley said he would have attended the luncheon because of his friendship with Barrett, but knew that as a lobbyist he is not allowed to handle or distribute campaign funds.
“I want you to tell them [The Sun News] to quit taking their pen and using it as a sword and slashing the flesh of a reputation,” Kelley’s attorney, Jim Stevens, said during his closing statement Thursday morning.
Attorney Jay Bender, who represented Wren and the newspaper, reminded jurors in his closing remarks that Kelley’s witness, Ethics Commission deputy director and attorney Cathy Hazelwood, testified that an email forwarded April 25, 2010, from Kelley that included a solicitation for funds for Barrett was an ethics violation.
In her testimony, she also said Wren quoted her opinion correctly in his articles in which she said Kelley did not violate any rules by attending the luncheon.
Stevens told jurors that the FBI and IRS investigated the contributions and no arrests have been made or indictments issued in the case.
“I submit to you that the IRS and FBI are better investigators than David Wren,” Stevens said. “David Wren and The Sun News has a duty to report the truth, not lies or fabrications. Fact: David Wren’s articles were understood by the public. … And they understood it to accuse Mark Kelley of a crime.”
Bender told jurors that the newspaper and Wren had been reporting on a series of campaign contributions and were seeking to determine where the money, including that distributed at the luncheon, came from.
Kelley’s reputation was not harmed, Bender told the jury. He had kept his same job with the same clients and has since received a raise from Coastal Carolina University for his work as a lobbyist.
He asked jurors to read the articles in their entirety and they would see the accounts did not defame Kelley or his reputation.
“What’s the role of a newspaper in society? It’s to look into dark places,” Bender said. “We think sometimes people buy influence they are not entitled to.”
Read more here: http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/news/local/article16666328.html#storylink=cpy
say what?
And yet it’s 2015 and not a dollar has been paid to anyone.
Is Sun News still in business?
Yes, indeed. It is.
Buz is their right hand libel creator?
It is true that people buy influence to which they are not entitled. OR, they believe they are entitled due to having deep pockets. Either way, it has nothing to do with true justice.
SHOW US where the appeal process has been exhausted, and the defendants have been forced to pay Kelly for the alleged “defamation.”
I will not stop challenging you on this. SHOW IT, or STFU about that damned bullshit trial and verdict.
Don’t shut the fuck up!Keep humiliating yourself.You got Wren and TSN all jacked up with your libelous bullshit about Kelley,the MBACC,,Gray etc…and look what the fuck happened…you have spewed the same bullshit about others on here,including Tom Rice…
You aren’t helping Will.You are a fucking problem.In my opinion dumbass…if you want to help him go the fuck away…your name attached to anything is a fucking disaster!
pogo, you are obviously twisting yourself into a pretzel to keep from facing the truth. The appeals process has a long way to go before the final ruling is made. It’s nowhere near being there at this time. You and GT keep pimping for Bingham on here by trying to scare everyone with a total boogieman premise — that the Kelley verdict has been decisively upheld in a major, definitive decision which cannot be reversed — and has thus become settled “case” law. That is total BS and you know it. Stop running from it, simp. FACE THE TRUTH!
All of Bingham’s bank records and all other financial records of his, his wife’s, their siblings, et al will be subpoenaed.
No dumb ass. Discovery will be limited.
Know it all cowardly troll!
Apparently there are multiple “complaints” = multiple discovery opportunities.
Correct.
That is a tough case given the standards to prove defamation against a public figure. As per the Supreme Court in NY Times v. Sullivan, Bingham will have to prove that the statements were published with knowledge that they are false or with reckless disregard of whether they are false. If all Will did was report what was publicly filed this case probably never gets to a jury…a judge may dismiss it on summary judgment. I am sure Will and FITS have insurance coverage for this kind of claim. Don’t under estimate Johnny Parker, he is experienced and very good. However, he isn’t in his back yard of Hampton County in this one.
“However, he isn’t in his back yard of Hampton County in this one.”
Even further, it could be a half hearted attempt at shutting Will up or simply testing his finances to see if he can sustain a defense.
Time will tell.
Maybe, but Will and FITS’s insurance company will probably be paying the cost of the defense. I doubt Will and FITS have to pay much out of pocket for their attorney.
????$77 /hr on the computer@md18//
…..
???https://Stoke NetM0neyPeak.com/top/hints…
It won;t even get that far because of the “fair reports” privilege, which allows journalist to report the contents of publicly available litigation documents, such as the allegations of the complaint in the Ross lawsuit. This case should be dismissed for failure to state a claim before it even gets to the summary judgment stage where the public official/actual malic analysis comes into play
Do you know upon what the SLANDER claim is based?….
Aside from that, there are e-mails used for communication…that could contain libelous material…
A lot of speculation – in defense of FITS – seems to be based in wishful thinking. No intelligent lawyer would deal in such certain conclusions based on such shallow knowledge of a case…
Not to mention: what you THINK is irrelevant to this suit…when pitted against what Bingham and his attorney KNOW….
I do agree, no intelligent lawyer would take a case based on shallow knowledge, particularly not a reputable one.
It may be wishful thinking. No one wants to see lives ruined and the odds are skewed due to money and power.
But you’re OK that FITS attempts to ruin the lives of Haley, Kennedy, Scott, Peeler, Haley’s daughter, Payne; Graham, Haley’s parents, Boeing….
Very liberal-like. You are savage toward others….but squeal victims and demand respect, when it comes back on you.
Why is it others, who did nothing to you deserve it, are fair targets…but you are hateful and aggressive, and think you are above reproach?
I’m OK with people who place themselves in the public eye with….questionable… ethics (HALEY) being called out.
If FITS survives this. His first line of business should be to ban GrandTango.
Cannot agree with that.
The no-banning policy is solid and sound.
He’s not as good as you say (or think) he is. Are you even family with the Rules of Professional Conduct? BTW .. the video of a very angry and hostile Bingham speaks volumes.
Well Forbes apparently thinks he is pretty good…at least in Hampton County. http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2002/0610/074.html He has had multiple million dollar verdicts which means he knows his way around a courtroom. It was his success in Hampton County that in large part led to changes in venue law in SC. Not sure what you mean about the reference to Rules of Professional Conduct but yes of course I as well as every lawyer knows them well. I don’t see anything unethical about his filing the suit but them I haven’t read the complaint either.
“He has been listed in “Best Lawyers in America” for a number of years. He has also been listed in “Super Lawyers” since it was first published. In 2008 he was selected by “Super Lawyers” as one of the top 25 lawyers in South Carolina. He has an AV rating from Martindale Hubbell. He was recognized in 2010 as one of seventeen lawyers in South Carolina to be profiled in Lawyers Weekly as a recipient of its Leadership in Law Award.”
http://www.pmped.com/profiles/details.html?id=8
Doesn’t really matter. Its like Joe Riley being given awards for being the Best Mayor, etc. When in fact, a close look proves otherwise. Remember the Charleston 9?
I don’t know the Attorney, only that he is high profile. Cases like this could financially break someone before they have their day in court. The timing seems odd. Or well thought out?
A monkey could get listed in “Best Lawyers”. All they gotta do is send in a check for membership dues!
I know. it is a repugnant practice.
I was about to say the same thing. Money buys those awards, not performance. In fact, Forbes has no first hand knowledge into anything to do with lawyers in SC. They get their information from other lawyers. But then, you get the big money tort claims (like against automobile makers or medication companies, etc, you get recognition. And BTW …. whatever happened to SC’s Judicial Score cards? Why was that stopped?
Product liability suits are easy to win.
Not Always
You obviously have NO clue what you are talking about. Products liability claims generally require extensive litigation and because they are so vigorously defended, many plaintiffs are unable to pursue a potentially valid case because costs to do so might outweigh your potential recovery.
Your ignorance of case law is laughable, to say the least. Where did you get your law degree? Walmart or out of a cereal box? Never mind, it is salient anyway that you are not a member of the bar. And if you were, dumb lawyers come a dime a dozen (you?).
How many products cases have you personally been involved in? “Case law” (i.e. reported decisions of APPELLATE courts) provide absolutely no practical insight as to how “easy” these types of cases are to prevail on. Once you get past reading case briefs in your Torts II class this semester, you might understand. Good luck on the bar exam
You are not an officer of the court. Figures.
I think way too many of you are assuming this is a conventional case…but there is a SLANDER claim made too…
So I’m guessing there is some spoken word. And those are far more actionable than many assume…
And no one of Bingham’s stature would forward this suit w/o calculation. And this attorney would not take this w/o a similar level of confidence. These people have reputations for a reason, just as FITS has his reputation for a reason.
Of course, a trial is required, but I’d much rather be in Bingham’s and Anderson’s shoes, than FITS’….regardless of his blowhard nature…If he is not EXTREMELY concerned, he is of VERY limited intelligence. A home, future income and all you have of value, is A LOT to lose…
I concur. I don’t see anything FITS did wrong, but it does seem very calculated, specifically the timing. Why now.
I would be extremely concerned.
The action names both the LLC and the owner.
Which means they will take FITS house, car and computer…His WHOLE life…professional, and personal…
You really are giddy over the idea that a guy with a wife and kids would be hit by something, you sick freak, you aren’t human.
When you do to people what he does…if you are not compelled by justice…you are a sad B@$t@*d……
You think it’s funny when it happens to the people you HATE…based on your perverted politics…but when it’s turnabout…you whine like a sickening little @$$hole…
Now STFU and take your medicine, you liberal JERK…
What about my family?
You still have your family, you still have your position, you still have a great life. This is an attempt to destroy someone’s ability to make a living to take care of his family and 4 or 5 children. What about his family?
In my opinion only,you will never have a life or be able to take care of your family IF the end means is destroying others in your own community for financial gain.
I really believe this lawsuit will change people.Never met ANY of them. Just sad it got to this point.
Never met any of them either. It is sad.
His primary residence and his means of earning a living are protected. Will is much like most of the rest of the world, judgement proof.
I don’t think you’re right about that…or they would NAME Will Folks in the suit.
It’s why David Wrenn was named in TSN suit. They INTEND to punish the individual…and the backers of the illegal site.
That’s why the trial will be a THRILL…I will be GLUED to it…
A thrill to watch someone’s life destroyed?
You talking about Nikki Haley, Scott Wingo, Tim Scott, Lou Kennedy, Rick Santorum’s wife, Harvey Peeler, Richard Eckstrom, Sara Palin, or Kenny Bingham???
I don’t want to see that however FitsNews is really designed to try and destroy others, correct?
Hopefully it all works out.
Yeah. That’s the “Christian Way” to these guys. Weird.
Illegal site? WTF? What is illegal about the site?
Also, AGAIN, please show proof that the appeal process on the Kelly v Wren suit has ended, and that there have been funds out-of-pocket paid to Kelley.
Stop dodging this. The Kelley scare-mongering would only work if 1) you were credible in an way, and 2) if your toady “pogo” were credible in any way, and 3) if there were documented proof that TSN, Wren or McClatchy have had to pay any money at all to Kelly.
NONE of these apply. You are full of shit.
Fuck you Boz.Why is it every site you show up on and spew your vicious poison and libelous bullshit, gets fucking SUED?
Keep SCREAMING at it…maybe it will go away….NOT…LMAO…
Just what Will and Fits need…Boz Martin attaching his name to the cause of his defense.
With friends like that, who the fuck needs enemies…
You claimed earlier that only Will was named and not the LLC. Now you are claiming Will is not named at all. Get your shit straight, man. And don’t you know that Xanex, bad stumphole ‘shine and huffin’ ether off a Kotex in a paper bag will mess you up for life?
You’re just P!$$ed you got busted…so now you’re just lying like your puppet master.
I guess none of you have learned your lesson, yet…
What’s the matter with you? You are disputing the word of GT? Just because he has stated something that is not true? Don’t you know he is tuned into another dimension of space and time where his word is law, and where he is not widely regarded as a buffoon?
Charlie Speights = What GT would be if he were slightly saner and better educated.
His corporate shield will be easily pierced.
Is that a sexual reference?;)
Quite correct. But it’s reality. That does not compute for GT.
Funny shit coming from a soon to be inmate inside a correctional facility.
Do tell…
I think we’d all like to hear more about THAT …
Hey Boz…GT is not the one that started deleting accounts/posts after word of this lawsuit was announced…
I think we all might want to hear more about THAT…runnin scared pussy?
Post the info about how much money Kelley has REALLY collected, due to the absurd verdict in his ridiculous suit. Go ahead. SHOW us that the appeals process — which could take several years — is all done. That should be a simple task for self-proclaimed geniuses like you and GT. Have at it, bucko.
Kelley will collect and where is your super slueth partner in libel..??At the Post covering PTA meetings?
When a lawyer asks about insurance, he is fishing for a fatter fee.
An Horry County jury ruled in favor of Myrtle Beach area lobbyist Mark Kelley against The Sun News and investigative reporter David Wren on claims Kelley was defamed in articles written in 2010 about campaign contributions made a year earlier.
The jury awarded $400,000 in actual damages and $250,000 in punitive damages against the newspaper and Wren. The jury deliberated for more than four hours before reaching unanimous verdicts on the two types of damages.
Kelley filed the suit in May 2012 against Wren and The Sun Publishing Co., seeking actual damages to compensate for “his loss of and/or damage to his good name, his personal and business reputation,” according to the suit.
He declined to comment about the verdict after the trial.
“We are, of course, disappointed with the jury’s verdict and continue to stand by the reporting of David Wren and the journalistic ethics of The Sun News,” said Carolyn Callison Murray, editor and vice president of the newspaper. Attorneys will make post-trial arguments before the judge on Monday and the news organization will decide after that whether to appeal the ruling, she said.
The trial began Monday afternoon with opening statements and testimony, which often hinged on issues of grammar, and continued through Wednesday evening.
The judge ruled before testimony began that Kelley is a public figure, which meant the jury had to determine that actual malice was involved on the part of the reporter and newspaper.
The articles dealt with a June 2009 luncheon attended by Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Brad Dean, Kelley, then-S.C. gubernatorial candidate Gresham Barrett and a Barrett campaign staff member. At the luncheon, Dean presented Barrett with an envelope containing $84,000 in campaign donations, most of which were on sequentially numbered checks from LLCs (Limited Liability Corporations) drawn on the same bank.
Kelley said the wording of the articles, which appeared in May 2010, accused him of violating state ethics laws that prohibit lobbyists from soliciting or handling campaign donations for statewide candidates.
In his testimony Monday, Kelley said he was unaware that Dean planned to give Barrett the donations. Kelley said he would have attended the luncheon because of his friendship with Barrett, but knew that as a lobbyist he is not allowed to handle or distribute campaign funds.
“I want you to tell them [The Sun News] to quit taking their pen and using it as a sword and slashing the flesh of a reputation,” Kelley’s attorney, Jim Stevens, said during his closing statement Thursday morning.
Attorney Jay Bender, who represented Wren and the newspaper, reminded jurors in his closing remarks that Kelley’s witness, Ethics Commission deputy director and attorney Cathy Hazelwood, testified that an email forwarded April 25, 2010, from Kelley that included a solicitation for funds for Barrett was an ethics violation.
In her testimony, she also said Wren quoted her opinion correctly in his articles in which she said Kelley did not violate any rules by attending the luncheon.
Stevens told jurors that the FBI and IRS investigated the contributions and no arrests have been made or indictments issued in the case.
“I submit to you that the IRS and FBI are better investigators than David Wren,” Stevens said. “David Wren and The Sun News has a duty to report the truth, not lies or fabrications. Fact: David Wren’s articles were understood by the public. … And they understood it to accuse Mark Kelley of a crime.”
Bender told jurors that the newspaper and Wren had been reporting on a series of campaign contributions and were seeking to determine where the money, including that distributed at the luncheon, came from.
Kelley’s reputation was not harmed, Bender told the jury. He had kept his same job with the same clients and has since received a raise from Coastal Carolina University for his work as a lobbyist.
He asked jurors to read the articles in their entirety and they would see the accounts did not defame Kelley or his reputation.
“What’s the role of a newspaper in society? It’s to look into dark places,” Bender said. “We think sometimes people buy influence they are not entitled to.”
Read more here: http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/news/local/article16666328.html#storylink=cpy
Why do you not link to information about the current disposition of the case — meaning where is it now, in the appeal process?
Also, please show proof that TSN, Wren or McClatchy ever had to pay a penny.
We’re waiting.
A lobbyist wouldn’t qualify as a public figure would he?
Let me tell you what is really interesting in this affair. It is not Bingham or Folks. It is not the lawsuit. It is what you don’t see.
It is the organized, probably compensated, comments on this thread that represent the work of a couple of people that were prepared ahead of time. These comments are not important in and of themselves, but they show that insiders are paying to bash Bingham. People are not paid to look after the interest of “the people,” no, they are paid to keep elected officials away for something. They are paid to keep people way from sweetheart deals or corruption.
All this posted stuff is a ruse. It is a misdirection. The insiders want you to look here while they act “there.” I believe Bingham has been looking at, or become aware of something that people don’t want him to mess with. Those people are probably pushing him to file litigation against Folks at the same time they are running a campaign against him. These people, paying the money, are protecting something.
Find that “something” and you have hit the jackpot. Find that something and you will know the true story.
Speaking of whitewashing whatever happened to our infamous chairman and him renting an antebellum house on the cheap, or whatever nefarious thing he was doing. I thought for sure he was next on the chopping block from the fed assisted investigation but not a peep in 6 months.
This posting has been up for 46 minutes and is at 74 comments. It’s going over 300 for sure and might go over 1000. What’s the FITSNEWS comment record anyway?
Like being lost at sea….you are so thirsty…w/ all that water…but what happens when you drink it?…
Lexington County
2015-CP-32-01764
Kenneth A Bingham v. William R Folks III and Fitsnews LLC
Bingham represented by John E Parker
Looks like more than one complaint.
More discovery?
Go here and type in case number 2015-CP-32-01764 : http://cms.lex-co.com/
Hard to determine without complaint.
Bingham’s trolls are monitoring all post and taking screen shots. But who cares. Bing just slit his own throat is all. Dozens of lawyers around the state are saying Kenny is making a very bad judgment call that could cost him everything he owns.
Shut up dumbs. “dozens of lawyers are saying”…dumb ass, you don’t know that. Damn, I hate cowardly trolls!
What are you doing on this site, then? And why don’t you give your full name? Your comment is trollish, and not revealing who you are in making makes you a coward. BAM!
Just wondering whether the big cheese Bingham lawyer would bother with this other than to lend credibility … You guys in SC still have laws, rules re: Malicious Intent/Malicious Prosecution, yes?
Hey Bingham…why don’t you lick Deeeeeeeeeez Nutz!!!!!
(Do you think the trolls will see this post)
Trolls apparently know you prefer children.
Lol…Kenny…is that you?
What’d he do…hit too close to home…???
I would subpoena every one of Bingham’s phone records from the last 5 years (both cell and land lines; business and private, and those of his wife’s and officer workers).
Opened a little Pandora’s box for himself, didn’t he?
He’s a sitting duck. Discovery will turn his the lives of he and entire family inside out while exposing all kinds of interesting things (*chuckles).
It’s amazing to think about how often vanity reduces an otherwise intelligent person to stupidity.(and just because someone is intelligent, doesn’t mean they are a “good” person)
If Bingham has one trace of unethical behavior in his background, he just handed Will Folks and his attorney the key to his skeleton closet.
Unbelievable.
Agree. It would have been better judgment to just leave fits alone. But then, in my opinion you can not rationalize with a narcissistic vindictive personality. I would not be surprised if Bingham has been on a non-stop defaming campaign against fitsnews. Amazing how easy it is these days for one to use the MP3 recording feature of their smartphones to unknowing records others who are a party to a conversation with them.
GT and his playmate flippy/pogo (fc, currently) may have been agents of Bingham’s for years now. Something to think about …
LMAO!!!! The day someone from Fits OR any other agency knocks on my door over something involving this site I will OWN you.
This will look like childs play.
Yeah you want the freedom to post any smear against anyone you choose on this site, but want to see others who also exercise their freedom of speech on it persecuted and totally ruined in a court of law. You sick bastard!
One problem, you can subpoena them, but then you have to pay someone to get them for you. I keep hearing people talk about e-mails and FOIA, yet they fail to realize that some state agencies charge $75/hr. to pull the data which can take 2-3 hours per day requested. You want Wednesday’s messages, that’ll be $225, you want Thursdays messages, that’ll be another $225.
You can get them from the phone company, not a state agency. The cost to obtain records from a neutral 3rd party which doesn’t have anything to hide (and which isn’t going to bat for some random customer of theirs) won’t be anything excessive–certainly in line with what Will’s attorneys have seen before.
exactly …. getting them directly from the internet service provider and phone company is the norm. Refusing to obey a subpoena is not wise. They can bill the person demanding the records, but it is very unwise to hold back the commanded records until payment is made. In any event, all kinds of things can be exposed on the behind the iron curtain of Bingham. Its my opinion he will be stripped of everything, not to mention all the others in his little clique being exposed. The Dept of Justice needs to be monitoring everyone that is in his circle while this is going on.
I wouldn’t take this case lightly. Rep. Bingham appears to have a very good Attorney retained. They must believe they have a case if the Attorney is filing the complaint.
Win, lose or draw, the outcome will likely be costly.
“Free Willie” bumper stickers for sale. 5.00 each…send check to free willie at fitsnews!
GrandTango is suffering from intense periods of insanity.
Intense years of insanity.
— I’ll wait for his Bobble-Head Doll
Should Kenny Bingham be audited by the IRS?
On the same day they audit you, dumb ass.
Here is a list of all of Fits and Will Folk’s friends in the South Carolina court system.
Starting at the top:
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** end of list **
Here is a list of all the lawyers willing to risk there careers representing Fits and Will Folks:
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** end of list **
Did you know your real name and home address will be uncovered by subpoenas? My my how foolish you are.
Sorry, Will.
LMAO….and I know you’re just having some fun…with people are usually bashing those they hate…but your point is SIGNIFICANT…
To sit back and ruthlessly attack anyone not Democrat in SC – along w/ a band of blind and stupid demons……is VERY Stupid…when you are basing it on such Flimsy S#!t as FITS is basing it on…
When this gets kicked around for a while, Will will have plenty of supporters. Depending on those “discovery” possibilities, one gang of “supporters” might have the initials FBI.
Isn’t the “complainer” (the whiner) under investigation still?
Yes.
Word on the street says yes.
Sorry, but unless there’s more than what was posted in the links, nobody (at least not Will) defamed Kenny Bingham. Reporting what others say (i.e. “the ethics complaint says Will is a jackass”) isn’t actionable unless it was repeated with explicit knowledge of it’s untruthfulness.
Maybe it’s a way to see if he can find out who some of the commenters are?? I’ve seen that done before. Wouldn’t we all like to meet Big T????
BTW, I think Will may have a suit against that Speight fellow. Pretty sure that blogpost accuses Will of extortion. That’s defamation per se, as it accuses him of a crime…..Give me a ring if you want to pursue that. I don’t particularly like you, but I do like $$$$$$.
Actually, I can’t see where obtaining any information on anyone commenting on the site is relavent. What’s that case assuming – you defamed me because you posted an article and then someone commented and through I was a jerk? You can’t sue The State for letters to the editor. And in the comments for each article, it was pretty much Grand Tango calling Wil and everyone else a Dumb@SS and spouting off about Gay Sex, and other people telling Grand Tango to shut-up. So I’ve to think this is a scare tactic.
An Horry County jury ruled in favor of Myrtle Beach area lobbyist Mark Kelley against The Sun News and investigative reporter David Wren on claims Kelley was defamed in articles written in 2010 about campaign contributions made a year earlier.
The jury awarded $400,000 in actual damages and $250,000 in punitive damages against the newspaper and Wren. The jury deliberated for more than four hours before reaching unanimous verdicts on the two types of damages.
Kelley filed the suit in May 2012 against Wren and The Sun Publishing Co., seeking actual damages to compensate for “his loss of and/or damage to his good name, his personal and business reputation,” according to the suit.
He declined to comment about the verdict after the trial.
“We are, of course, disappointed with the jury’s verdict and continue to stand by the reporting of David Wren and the journalistic ethics of The Sun News,” said Carolyn Callison Murray, editor and vice president of the newspaper. Attorneys will make post-trial arguments before the judge on Monday and the news organization will decide after that whether to appeal the ruling, she said.
The trial began Monday afternoon with opening statements and testimony, which often hinged on issues of grammar, and continued through Wednesday evening.
The judge ruled before testimony began that Kelley is a public figure, which meant the jury had to determine that actual malice was involved on the part of the reporter and newspaper.
The articles dealt with a June 2009 luncheon attended by Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Brad Dean, Kelley, then-S.C. gubernatorial candidate Gresham Barrett and a Barrett campaign staff member. At the luncheon, Dean presented Barrett with an envelope containing $84,000 in campaign donations, most of which were on sequentially numbered checks from LLCs (Limited Liability Corporations) drawn on the same bank.
Kelley said the wording of the articles, which appeared in May 2010, accused him of violating state ethics laws that prohibit lobbyists from soliciting or handling campaign donations for statewide candidates.
In his testimony Monday, Kelley said he was unaware that Dean planned to give Barrett the donations. Kelley said he would have attended the luncheon because of his friendship with Barrett, but knew that as a lobbyist he is not allowed to handle or distribute campaign funds.
“I want you to tell them [The Sun News] to quit taking their pen and using it as a sword and slashing the flesh of a reputation,” Kelley’s attorney, Jim Stevens, said during his closing statement Thursday morning.
Attorney Jay Bender, who represented Wren and the newspaper, reminded jurors in his closing remarks that Kelley’s witness, Ethics Commission deputy director and attorney Cathy Hazelwood, testified that an email forwarded April 25, 2010, from Kelley that included a solicitation for funds for Barrett was an ethics violation.
In her testimony, she also said Wren quoted her opinion correctly in his articles in which she said Kelley did not violate any rules by attending the luncheon.
Stevens told jurors that the FBI and IRS investigated the contributions and no arrests have been made or indictments issued in the case.
“I submit to you that the IRS and FBI are better investigators than David Wren,” Stevens said. “David Wren and The Sun News has a duty to report the truth, not lies or fabrications. Fact: David Wren’s articles were understood by the public. … And they understood it to accuse Mark Kelley of a crime.”
Bender told jurors that the newspaper and Wren had been reporting on a series of campaign contributions and were seeking to determine where the money, including that distributed at the luncheon, came from.
Kelley’s reputation was not harmed, Bender told the jury. He had kept his same job with the same clients and has since received a raise from Coastal Carolina University for his work as a lobbyist.
He asked jurors to read the articles in their entirety and they would see the accounts did not defame Kelley or his reputation.
“What’s the role of a newspaper in society? It’s to look into dark places,” Bender said. “We think sometimes people buy influence they are not entitled to.”
Read more here: http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/news/local/article16666328.html#storylink=cpy
ha ha!!!
Citation, please, on the current status of the appeal. NO money has changed hands. It will not. The appeal will succeed.
Boz are you in early at TSN today?Please come over and mow my yard.
So figure just getting started State Rep Bingham’s paying the attorney what, say $275 an hour, about 25 hours invested to date, another 185 hours to go before trail – so with paralegal costs, copy costs, filing costs, etc, about $75,000. (We won’t even estimate the trial costs). Now Wil, earning about 25-cents a click, is going to probably be on MSNBC, CNN, ABC, CBS and maybe even FOX (but hard to tell) – national shows – starting next week. That should earn him around 1 million clicks over a week. So about $250K. So if Wil wins, Kenny will be out $75K in legal fees, and Wil and the family will be vacationing in Puerto Rico.
Kenny sounds like he has anger issues. Freud believed the relationship with the mother was key. If a child experienced forceful feeding, deprivation or early weaning, the child was more likely to have aggression issues. Some therapy could be helpful.
Kenny sounds like a man trying to do his job…If he is not ANGRY at what idiots like you are doing…he’d be abnormal…
To sit back and attack good and decent people, like FITS does, because you’re a bitter @$$hole…has consequences…I’m thrilled Rep. Bingham is employing his rights to justice and the law…Godspeed, to the honorable representative…
You sound like a frustrated, impatient weasel. Quit trying to “lead” the audience with your assign statements.
Grow up, dumb ass.
For all those interested, I’m setting up a “Go Fund It” account. See details below.
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To help Kenny Bingham in his efforts use the link beloe
http://www.KENNY BINGHAM@gofundit.com
Just kidding, Will. I wish you well. You should set up an account for yourself.
FITS Contributors list: (So far)
Ray Rice Foundation
SCDP
Brotherhood of the defunct Aircraft Union Workers
I Hate Myself and SC Self-Loathers
Boz Martin ‘Aliens Among Us’ Club
Dabo for Dumb@$$#$ Team
Little “Dick” ‘Pootlian Democrats Club
Monica Lewinsky “We are Thumbody” Federation
The Clinton “No Way Tire” Foundation
Assoc. for Appalachian Trail’ hikers
Speedo Corp.
Hon. Anthony Weiner
What happened to your website? Why was it taken down? The server was only charging you $4.99 a month. Please explained what happened. Are you short on funds? Must suck to use the public library computers. Maybe you will get much needed financial ass-sistance?
Desperate much???…LMAO…
Too ashamed to answer legitimate questions? LMAO
I guess web companies don’t take EBT.
I’m literally on the floor lMAO.
Feel free to expand the list….
The Clinton Foundation accepts foreign contributions:
ISIS
BOKO HARAM
AL QAEDA
Chinese Coral Reef Restoration Fund
You left out:
“Sharia-Liberals Kill Women for Getting Raped” FITS Defense League
LMAO…
They are BIG donors for Bill and Hill….Hahahaha
GrandTango Go Fund Me Contributors:
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Actually, that would be every taxpayer in the USA.
As usual…an EMPTY Mind…LMAO…
Biggest contributor? GrandTango and Pogo, for their trillions of daily clicks on FITSNews.
Hey, that’s really clever, GT, especially for a guy who thinks his collection of bubble gum cards is part of the “Great Books” series!
Glad you like it Shifty…and you know any viable humor has a ring of truth to it…
Bingham is going to be hit from so many different angles, he could have a mental breakdown and do something much more stupider than this lawsuit; good attorney or not. Seem those like Bingham fall hard on their faces before while taking others down with them.
Bingham is not dumb. He knows what he is doing.
Will knows what he is doing.
Don’t act superior or trash them. You might want to watch and learn.
Former Representative Bingham’s resignation says it all. “People in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.”
Yeah. He is in his last days as a public servant.
Oh the lamentations of Bingham!
Let’s gather, dear munchkins, and sing ’em.
Of the stories Folks “paints”
There are many complaints.
As for bells and for necks, why not ring ’em!
Sad for the verse of Ken’s song;
Flippant Fits has so rarely been wrong.
Like beauty, truth’s in the eyes,
We’ve all heard political lies,
And greed is exposed before long.
Excellent
How high are the comments Mama? 152 and rising.
Quarter a click, let’s click Wil into Trumposphere.
That’ll pay FITS legal fees for about 10 seconds…LMAO….
How high are the commenters Mama?
Just broke 200
Excellent!
This is terrible! Bingham sues and wins, and then FITS gets shut down. Where will I get my tontobubba/GT/easterndumb/bible thump/EWE/shifty/jimlewis/rocky fix???
I hear GT’s got a blog!
I have offered to take over during Will’s stay with Metts.
I bet the officer could smell the alcohol on her breath even if she rode in the trunk.
Thanks for including me in your , Timmy. Do as I do — when someone posts comments/links/info then I copy and past in a special file.
Awww….I didn’t make the list. Must try harder.
“This is terrible! Bingham sues and wins, and then FITS gets shut down. Where will I get my tontobubba/GT/easterndumb/bible thump/EWE/shifty/jimlewis/rocky fix???”
Uh-uh. And FU for not including me in your Little List – I am effin devastated . . .
(I cleaned up my usual colorful language just a teeny-weeny bit just in case a screen shot of ME gets paraded around a Lexington County courtroom . . .)
An Horry County jury ruled in favor of Myrtle Beach area lobbyist Mark Kelley against The Sun News and investigative reporter David Wren on claims Kelley was defamed in articles written in 2010 about campaign contributions made a year earlier.
The jury awarded $400,000 in actual damages and $250,000 in punitive damages against the newspaper and Wren. The jury deliberated for more than four hours before reaching unanimous verdicts on the two types of damages.
Kelley filed the suit in May 2012 against Wren and The Sun Publishing Co., seeking actual damages to compensate for “his loss of and/or damage to his good name, his personal and business reputation,” according to the suit.
He declined to comment about the verdict after the trial.
“We are, of course, disappointed with the jury’s verdict and continue to stand by the reporting of David Wren and the journalistic ethics of The Sun News,” said Carolyn Callison Murray, editor and vice president of the newspaper. Attorneys will make post-trial arguments before the judge on Monday and the news organization will decide after that whether to appeal the ruling, she said.
The trial began Monday afternoon with opening statements and testimony, which often hinged on issues of grammar, and continued through Wednesday evening.
The judge ruled before testimony began that Kelley is a public figure, which meant the jury had to determine that actual malice was involved on the part of the reporter and newspaper.
The articles dealt with a June 2009 luncheon attended by Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Brad Dean, Kelley, then-S.C. gubernatorial candidate Gresham Barrett and a Barrett campaign staff member. At the luncheon, Dean presented Barrett with an envelope containing $84,000 in campaign donations, most of which were on sequentially numbered checks from LLCs (Limited Liability Corporations) drawn on the same bank.
Kelley said the wording of the articles, which appeared in May 2010, accused him of violating state ethics laws that prohibit lobbyists from soliciting or handling campaign donations for statewide candidates.
In his testimony Monday, Kelley said he was unaware that Dean planned to give Barrett the donations. Kelley said he would have attended the luncheon because of his friendship with Barrett, but knew that as a lobbyist he is not allowed to handle or distribute campaign funds.
“I want you to tell them [The Sun News] to quit taking their pen and using it as a sword and slashing the flesh of a reputation,” Kelley’s attorney, Jim Stevens, said during his closing statement Thursday morning.
Attorney Jay Bender, who represented Wren and the newspaper, reminded jurors in his closing remarks that Kelley’s witness, Ethics Commission deputy director and attorney Cathy Hazelwood, testified that an email forwarded April 25, 2010, from Kelley that included a solicitation for funds for Barrett was an ethics violation.
In her testimony, she also said Wren quoted her opinion correctly in his articles in which she said Kelley did not violate any rules by attending the luncheon.
Stevens told jurors that the FBI and IRS investigated the contributions and no arrests have been made or indictments issued in the case.
“I submit to you that the IRS and FBI are better investigators than David Wren,” Stevens said. “David Wren and The Sun News has a duty to report the truth, not lies or fabrications. Fact: David Wren’s articles were understood by the public. … And they understood it to accuse Mark Kelley of a crime.”
Bender told jurors that the newspaper and Wren had been reporting on a series of campaign contributions and were seeking to determine where the money, including that distributed at the luncheon, came from.
Kelley’s reputation was not harmed, Bender told the jury. He had kept his same job with the same clients and has since received a raise from Coastal Carolina University for his work as a lobbyist.
He asked jurors to read the articles in their entirety and they would see the accounts did not defame Kelley or his reputation.
“What’s the role of a newspaper in society? It’s to look into dark places,” Bender said. “We think sometimes people buy influence they are not entitled to.”
Read more here: http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/news/local/article16666328.html#storylink=cpy
Eat shit MOFO!!!
SHOW us the link to the page online proving that all is settled in that case. SHOW it or STFU. It is still under appeal.
It will not stand.
Brought your poison over here and look what happened.I feel sorry for Fits…
Timmah!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTsowxKc4xA
Hey everyone, Tango’s back, and it’s 5:45, so I guess we know what time he hits the Charcker Barrell at Lake Murray and I-26.
as facts multiply, Republican defenses become stronger to combat them.
I can’t tell. What meds are you one again?
Reality…. probably not available in your area.
Three are more than Republicans mixed up in this, as in all corruption in SC. The Dems are no means all saints.
Knowing what I know about libel and slander cases, studies on the same, many hours spend shepardizing cases, memorandums of law, inter alia, I am willing to bet that Fitsnews comes out of this with a jury ruling in their favor; and, a counterclaim for damages (including punitive) and legal fees being awarded. The most damaging aspect to Bingham in this suit can be the subpoenas reaching out beyond to his clique. Surely those in the legislature realize this, do they not? Do they understand the possibility of being sucked up into all of this and their own records being subjected to discovery? After all, they have reportedly been very loud and vocal in public places about it. Will we be hearing stories of destroyed hard drives and lost emails, just to name a few things? Nonetheless, I chalk this up to a nuisance lawsuit in an attempt to save face – and as a means to intimidate for exercising the right to free speech. Hey?? Isn’t that a civil rights violation, to use the law to punish someone for doing what the law fully affords someone to do?
Convinced me !
An Horry County jury ruled in favor of Myrtle Beach area lobbyist Mark Kelley against The Sun News and investigative reporter David Wren on claims Kelley was defamed in articles written in 2010 about campaign contributions made a year earlier.
The jury awarded $400,000 in actual damages and $250,000 in punitive damages against the newspaper and Wren. The jury deliberated for more than four hours before reaching unanimous verdicts on the two types of damages.
Kelley filed the suit in May 2012 against Wren and The Sun Publishing Co., seeking actual damages to compensate for “his loss of and/or damage to his good name, his personal and business reputation,” according to the suit.
Read more here: http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/news/local/article16666328.html#storylink=cpy
say what?
Cite the opinion that has finally awarded money to Kelley, ending the appeals process. It is non-existent, at this point in time.
You are just playing BOOGA-BOOGA, pogo.
How long have you been working for Bingham?
Can you give me the details of your record as an attorney – juxtaposed to Johnny Parker’s???
Aside from that, you are going on very little knowledge..and that makes you sound like an idiot…trying the case in your biased and prejudiced mind…
Clue: It ain’t going to be settled by your Dumb@$$ post…Ever hear of something called a “COURT”….
Ken Ken seems like he has some anger issues. Stay off the Vitalis, Kenny !
Looks like you’ve got plenty of free legal advise. Worth almost what you have paid for it, so far.
“One can’t be sued for libel and lose, as long as one has been telling the truth.” – Allen King, comedian, after successfully defending against American Airlines and collection multiple millions. … They had lost his luggage.
VERY true about all the free legal advice..
And this FITS defense is coming from a lot of dolts who were sure Thomas Ravenel was going to put Brad Hutto into the US senate, because FITS told them so…They thought Tom Ervin was a Republican, and would catapult Sheheen into the Gov’s mansion…because FITS said it…
That said: Notice FITS is being sued for SLANDER…what was said on the phone????
You can one-way record in SC, legally..and Charlie Speight revealed that he has set-up FITS via e-mail…As reckless – and full of himself and inexperienced, as FITS is – I don’t think it would be very difficult to dupe him…into committing an egregious offense…
That may be where the meat of the case is…
The “meat” of the case is in your hands. And you are beating it, constantly.
Pi$$#d Much???…You should be…LMAO…
Don’t know what he sued Folks for writing, but who ever wrote this piece has Johnny Parker figured wrong. Hampton is not known as a “judicial hell hole” because of so called “frivolous lawsuits,” but because of giant verdicts against big defendants. In Lexington County, it will be more of a fair fight – while Parker almost never loses a home game, Lexington is a conservative jurisdiction. But folks there may not think too much of Folks – the guy who messed with grown up Little Miss Bamberg and who took down Old Knocky. My money is on Parker. Better strap it on, Will, and lube up, cause you are going to get a rectal exam with the gloves off, and Parker has some big fingers.
You’re full of shit. NEXT!!!
High profile cases on their site. Sample:
“The firm represented the Murphys in a defamation action against Jefferson Pilot Communications and its news director, Donald Feldman, for defamatory remarks made by Donald M. Feldman. The trial judge directed a verdict for Jefferson Pilot Communications at the end of trial finding Donald Feldman was not acting as an agent of Jefferson Pilot Communications at the time he made the defamatory remarks. The jury returned a $9,000,000.00 verdict against Donald Feldman. On appeal, the Court of Appeals held the Murphys presented sufficient evidence of agency to make it an issue to be determined by the jury. In a second trial, the jury returned a verdict of $4,250,000.00 against Jefferson Pilot Communications.”
http://www.pmped.com/results/
So what. Bingham is a public servant using campaign funds to retain an attorney. Check your law. Beside, I have no interest in Parker’s website promoting himself.
I just checked his campaign funds. Seems attorneys are funding him, source below:
Lawyers & Lobbyists$3,950.00
http://votesmart.org/candidate/campaign-finance/47937/kenneth-bingham#.VVUoldOrRbU
In the matter of Bingdam’s lawyers ….. Is there something you wish to say that you are afraid to say because the FBI could be monitoring all communications relevant to Bingdam and is circle of cronies? Hey! Smartphones are being used as hot mics in many DOJ undercover operations. And even if the owner of said phone turns it off. Imagine that! Oh, and did you know electronic bugging devices can easily be planted that now use cell phone towers to transmit the signals?
Nothing left for me to say. Best of luck to Will Folks!
And point out what exactly violates SC’s Libel and Slander law concerning Bingdam, if you can (which I highly doubt).
Ahhh…But Bingham has ALL interest in FITS’ website promoting himself…and therein lies the rub…. (;
Will does not use public funds. It’s really nobody’s business where he gets his money. Will is not a “public servant.” Bingham IS a public servant, therefore it’s everyone’s business who pays taxes in the state of SC. Including tourists and persons visiting for other reasons, or working here temporarily. All pay some form of taxes in SC. So all are stakeholders with a right to know how Bingham is paying his lawyer.
That’s the difference. If you’re too thick to see it, it’s nobody’s problem but your own.
None of what you are pleading gives FITS the right to maliciously lie, and defame another man, based on his hate, greed and self-loathing.
Thank God there are laws against that. And Thank God Rep. Bingham is exercising his rights. We should all stand and cheer for Rep. Bingham . He is the GOOD guy…you – and FITS – are a threat to freedom, and justice. You are bad for South Carolina. You are a disgrace to society.
Just found your post. I posted a similar comment. Parker is no lightweight.
Correction: Lying about Haley will not help FITS…it may even be a case of guilt by proxy…
As for Jake Knotts..he took himself down…FITS and he are VERY much alike politically (cozy w/ Democrats) ….FITS attacked Kartina until it looked like Jakie was dead in the water…then he jumped on board…
I agree about the rectal…FITS got really lazy, because he’d gotten away w/ so much for so long……and the trap just closed on his Stupid @$$….
Bingham is one ugly looking mofo. Reminds me of that creature in Predator. And did anyone notice that all of his shirts have bubbles in them? I mean, is he pregnant or something? How many times has he cheated on his husband, I mean “wife”?
But he cannot be sued because you – and FITS – don’t like the way he looks…But if you lie about him, knowingly and maliciously trying to damage his reputation…your @$$ gets sued…
No charge for the less in reality……LMAO…
Where do you see anyone lied about him and maliciously tried to damage his reputation? I’ve read every article on this site. Don’t see it. Unless it was a personal conversation that may have been recorded.
There is a SLANDER component to it. And Charlie Speight revealed he has set up FITS…you don’t think anyone else has???…
You must have been born yesterday…
You want Charlie’s home address?
Thank you for this wonderful post. Perhaps It will be used against you and Speight at a later date?
randTango Guest • 3 days ago
There is a SLANDER component to it. And Charlie Speight revealed he has set up FITS…you don’t think anyone else has???…
You must have been born yesterday…
I have decided to file a federal action against you for cyber harassment, stalking, hacking, DOS attacks, and child support.
Who cares. I don’t. I am suing you anyway. And just wait to see what cometh for Bingdam. Its will cause the people of South Carolina and applaud while singing “another one bites the dust.”
Vapid idiot much???
Bitchy internet toll. Bet you are sissy asshole in person.
Not sure if anyone’s mentioned it yet, but Will’s probably judgment proof anyway (or easily could be). And that’s not to say he’s broke, because you can be pretty darn well off and judgment proof. So go ahead Will, lease that Maserati you always wanted (after fully funding you and your wife’s retirement accounts). Cheers
Be sure to ask Will in discovery if he has ever been paid or given / promised anything of value (including inside information) to post article favorable / negative about any public figure or private individual.
Oh Snap!!! It’s on like Donkey Kong.
Don’t you mean Johnny Parker just snapped on the Donkey…and you and FITS finta’ get bent and REAMED….LMAO….Hahahahaha…
The gay curious is strong with this one.
Curious? He is too experienced to just be curious.
12 months of discovery time better be allowed. Of course, can tie this action up for 4 years will tons of motions. HAHAHAHHHAHHAA!
Motion to Remove Plaintiff’s Council. Motion to Disqualify. Motion to Compel Production of Documents and Things …..
Has Bingdam ever taken anger management classes?
He doesn’t need that. You need an infusion of honor and intercity, you internet troll.
WorkingTommyC 4 years ago
Bingham had to be chastised by members of the audience?
Apparently Bingham is a spoiled child who doesn’t have to live up to the adult standards the rest of strive for. His behavior was completely uncalled for. I usually vote GOP but I would not vote for someone displaying that sort of arrogance. His vicious display makes him the poster boy (and I do mean boy) for term limits.
You are a bitch with a hard on for Bingham. Crawl back under your rock.
Seems to me, after the talk tonight at dinner, there are several lawsuits in the works AGAINST Bingham. Guess the people of South Carolina are wanting him gone, you reckon?
bitch bitch bitch. Internet troll hating on Bingham. Tells us more about u than Bingham.
Dumb ass bitch troll
My my you are so angry! Troll? Nothing could be further from the truth. But we can subpoena this website’s records and acquire your isp, then subpoena all of your internet records and emails. So you want to call me a troll? You’re just a little boy sent here by Bingham. You might be answering to something server upon you in the near future, chump.
Pussy bitch hiding behind a fake name. limo dick little bastard
Screw Bingham, I dont hare. But I have a slimy asshole posting on the internet trying to ruin someone. Bitch ass coward
The video is interesting, watching him go postal.
He shows himself up as a strange dude.
Excitement Galore ——” hombre a hombre”..!!
Never a dull moment for sure.
I’m stocking up on my party goodies: booze, popnuts, and peacorn…..
I shouldn’t have stayed up so late last night. Fading fast tonight. Early day tomorrow, but it will be 5 o’clock somewhere in the world. Booze, popcorn and peanuts for breakfast anyone?
An Horry County jury ruled in favor of Myrtle Beach area lobbyist Mark Kelley against The Sun News and investigative reporter David Wren on claims Kelley was defamed in articles written in 2010 about campaign contributions made a year earlier.
The jury awarded $400,000 in actual damages and $250,000 in punitive damages against the newspaper and Wren. The jury deliberated for more than four hours before reaching unanimous verdicts on the two types of damages.
Kelley filed the suit in May 2012 against Wren and The Sun Publishing Co., seeking actual damages to compensate for “his loss of and/or damage to his good name, his personal and business reputation,” according to the suit.
He declined to comment about the verdict after the trial.
“We are, of course, disappointed with the jury’s verdict and continue to stand by the reporting of David Wren and the journalistic ethics of The Sun News,” said Carolyn Callison Murray, editor and vice president of the newspaper. Attorneys will make post-trial arguments before the judge on Monday and the news organization will decide after that whether to appeal the ruling, she said.
The trial began Monday afternoon with opening statements and testimony, which often hinged on issues of grammar, and continued through Wednesday evening.
The judge ruled before testimony began that Kelley is a public figure, which meant the jury had to determine that actual malice was involved on the part of the reporter and newspaper.
The articles dealt with a June 2009 luncheon attended by Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Brad Dean, Kelley, then-S.C. gubernatorial candidate Gresham Barrett and a Barrett campaign staff member. At the luncheon, Dean presented Barrett with an envelope containing $84,000 in campaign donations, most of which were on sequentially numbered checks from LLCs (Limited Liability Corporations) drawn on the same bank.
Kelley said the wording of the articles, which appeared in May 2010, accused him of violating state ethics laws that prohibit lobbyists from soliciting or handling campaign donations for statewide candidates.
In his testimony Monday, Kelley said he was unaware that Dean planned to give Barrett the donations. Kelley said he would have attended the luncheon because of his friendship with Barrett, but knew that as a lobbyist he is not allowed to handle or distribute campaign funds.
“I want you to tell them [The Sun News] to quit taking their pen and using it as a sword and slashing the flesh of a reputation,” Kelley’s attorney, Jim Stevens, said during his closing statement Thursday morning.
Attorney Jay Bender, who represented Wren and the newspaper, reminded jurors in his closing remarks that Kelley’s witness, Ethics Commission deputy director and attorney Cathy Hazelwood, testified that an email forwarded April 25, 2010, from Kelley that included a solicitation for funds for Barrett was an ethics violation.
In her testimony, she also said Wren quoted her opinion correctly in his articles in which she said Kelley did not violate any rules by attending the luncheon.
Stevens told jurors that the FBI and IRS investigated the contributions and no arrests have been made or indictments issued in the case.
“I submit to you that the IRS and FBI are better investigators than David Wren,” Stevens said. “David Wren and The Sun News has a duty to report the truth, not lies or fabrications. Fact: David Wren’s articles were understood by the public. … And they understood it to accuse Mark Kelley of a crime.”
Bender told jurors that the newspaper and Wren had been reporting on a series of campaign contributions and were seeking to determine where the money, including that distributed at the luncheon, came from.
Kelley’s reputation was not harmed, Bender told the jury. He had kept his same job with the same clients and has since received a raise from Coastal Carolina University for his work as a lobbyist.
He asked jurors to read the articles in their entirety and they would see the accounts did not defame Kelley or his reputation.
“What’s the role of a newspaper in society? It’s to look into dark places,” Bender said. “We think sometimes people buy influence they are not entitled to.”
Read more here: http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/news/local/article16666328.html#storylink=cpy
Yes indeed!
CITE the opinion giving a final ending to the appeal process on that case.
PROVE that any of the defendants have had to pay Kelly a dime.
We’re still waiting.
You scare tactics will not work if you continue to be dishonest by not telling the whole truth.
Bingham’s Cronies are Monitoring the comments. But guess what, their real names will be uncovered in due time —- *winks*
(The TRUE SHIFTY HENRY) — Hey, what’s going on here? I check in on Fitsnews and discover that someone hijacked my moniker? Folks, I’ve been in a coma for the past seven months!
LOL
” Folks, I’ve been in a coma for the past seven months!”
Shhh! Don’t tell the Republicans they’ll be calling special sessions of Congress to “save you” . . . .
Actually, at the moment I have bigger worries on my mind. I’m not busy or important enough to take advantage of all the features on my smartphone.
Too bad he came out of it.. they might have run him for President.
Let’s remove the feeding tubes.
euwe, l’ve been thinking. Drones are ruining war. It’s like the space program. We don’t send man beyond Earth orbit soon and we lost all interest in space. The same is true with drones. If we continue to rely on drones the American people will lose interest in war.
So sad but so true! I love you euwe max!
“Bingham’s Cronies are Monitoring the comments” — The comments should exceed a thousand before midnight tonight (I hope). Otherwise I’ll dig up some stories from my archives that will make them laugh so hard they’ll forgive Will (I hope).
This is just a rumor that is repeated by all of my family members. My grandpa said that apparently at birth I turned around and looked over my shoulder as I came out of the womb. I was paranoid. I thought maybe someone was following me.
Just a reminder that I’ve been saying it here: Bring back dueling!
Cheaper & Final.
Take up serpents and drink poison!
It’s over 250!!
Over 320 and still going strong.
Thought you went to bed, Garbage.Oh,that was 2 hours ago.
OK…guys we 6 hours of non-stop posting, we have paid for 30 seconds of FITS’ defense…LMAO…Give yourselves a pat on the back…
At this rate,- if we keep steady… we’ll be able to cover FITS legal bills in the year 2525…LMAO…
I personally ‘click’ on this site 1,000 times a day. This is actually a slow night. :)
Hey Sperm Lips. You want me to purchase the website domain you were terminated from? What about your internet service provider, should I ask them not to terminate your account for violations of their TOS?
hahahahaahahahahahahahahahahaahahahahahahahahahahahahahaahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaahahahahahahahahahahaha.
Is that you, Karl???..
no i’m right here. i have better things to do than post and lurk on here all day. i have a career with a shit ton of employees that depend on me to get meals on their tables.
If you’re still working for FITS, you can thank me for feeding you…LMAO…Without me and the fact that I come on here – your relevance would be about half of what it is…
I own 13 companies.
Karl, don’t argue with drunks and Tango. It’s just a waste of your time. God I can’t believe you all are still ranting on this topic. Given the slow pace of the legal system, you keep this up you’ll use all the oxygen in the world before this ever has it’s first hearing.
Then you must be pretty Da#n stupid for lying about Kenny Bingham…because he’s getting ready to take everything you have. LMAO….Dumb@$$….
Point out the lie, fool. There is none.
Folks, via his website FITSNews, willfully and repeatedly published “false and defamatory” statements about Rep. Bingham and knew they were false upon publication.
The statements Folks published quoted “sources” that Bingham, Chairman of the South Carolina House of Representatives Ethics Committee and frontrunner to become Speaker, was the subject of an ethics complaint. The suit contends Folks knew there was no such complaint but continued to publish stories to the contrary.
Further, according to the suit, some of the FITSNews posts “falsely accuses Mr. Bingham of a crime and being unfit in his business” and “falsely [implies] that the plaintiff engaged in unethical conduct.”
In the suit, seven incidents are cited in which Will Folks/FITNews:
…falsely accuse the plaintiff of ethics violations and some of the statements falsely accuse the plaintiff of being corrupt, unethical and guilty of criminal conduct.
Even though the defendants learned these statements were false they continued with malice to falsely publish the false statements.
LINK: http://thewatchlog.com/2015/05/14/kenny-bingham-brings-it-on/
Of course you are bitter and jealous. Your net worth and educational level is undoubtedly a mere pittance compared to Karl’s.
Karl, you don’t know me, but if I were FITSnews, I think I would strongly consider banning GrandTango. It’s time to clean up the page.
We don’t ban anyone it goes against what we are about.
Unfortunate. Thanks for the reply.
OH WOW!!!! KENNY BINGHAM HIMSELF HAS VISITED THIS WRITE UP! Everyone say hello to Bingham, please!
howdy!
Shouldn’t that be “howdy do”?
howdy do dat?
May I have your attention please?
May I have your attention please?
Will the real Slim Shady please stand up?
I repeat, will the real Slim Shady please stand up?
We’re gonna have a problem here..
Standing up. Who is paying you ?
Hi Kenny. Are you going to throw your bitter angry self on the statehouse floor, kicking your feet, screaming and pounding both fist on the floor?
I think he’s doing his talking through the justice system….Dumb@$$….LMAO…
You mean Just His System.
Passing it through his lower intestine, even as we speak.
Fortunately, the court does not recognize your ignorance-based appraisal of the suit.
Ignorance is your province. You thrive on it. You and your ignorance have no legal standing. FTTTT!
Your vapid offering may play well w/ the Dumb@$$#$ – of equal intelligence – down at the coffee house. But you look stupid to me.
And it has the fingerprints of one of the many name-changers on here, who switch, because they’ve been outed as idiots, in another post. You are legion.
You accusing me of being like pogo, simp?
Kenny Ka-Boom!
Probably getting more Evidence…LMAO…
One of the most important symptoms of pathological narcissism (the Narcissistic Personality
Disorder) is grandiosity. Grandiose fantasies (megalomaniac delusions of
grandeur) permeate every aspect of the narcissist’s personality. They are the reason
that the narcissist feels entitled to special treatment which is typically incommensurate
with his real accomplishments. The Grandiosity Gap is the abyss between the narcissist’s
self-image (as reified by his False Self) and reality.
When Narcissistic Supply is deficient, the narcissist de-compensates and acts out in a
variety of ways. Narcissists often experience psychotic micro-episodes during therapy
and when they suffer narcissistic injuries in a life crisis. But can the narcissist “go
over the edge”? Do narcissists ever become psychotic? Do they file lawsuits in an attempt to save face?
This is too deep for me . . . . I stopped reading when you mentioned GrandTango’s fantasies . . .
An Horry County jury ruled in favor of Myrtle Beach area lobbyist Mark Kelley against The Sun News and investigative reporter David Wren on claims Kelley was defamed in articles written in 2010 about campaign contributions made a year earlier.
The jury awarded $400,000 in actual damages and $250,000 in punitive damages against the newspaper and Wren. The jury deliberated for more than four hours before reaching unanimous verdicts on the two types of damages.
Kelley filed the suit in May 2012 against Wren and The Sun Publishing Co., seeking actual damages to compensate for “his loss of and/or damage to his good name, his personal and business reputation,” according to the suit.
He declined to comment about the verdict after the trial.
“We are, of course, disappointed with the jury’s verdict and continue to stand by the reporting of David Wren and the journalistic ethics of The Sun News,” said Carolyn Callison Murray, editor and vice president of the newspaper. Attorneys will make post-trial arguments before the judge on Monday and the news organization will decide after that whether to appeal the ruling, she said.
The trial began Monday afternoon with opening statements and testimony, which often hinged on issues of grammar, and continued through Wednesday evening.
The judge ruled before testimony began that Kelley is a public figure, which meant the jury had to determine that actual malice was involved on the part of the reporter and newspaper.
The articles dealt with a June 2009 luncheon attended by Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Brad Dean, Kelley, then-S.C. gubernatorial candidate Gresham Barrett and a Barrett campaign staff member. At the luncheon, Dean presented Barrett with an envelope containing $84,000 in campaign donations, most of which were on sequentially numbered checks from LLCs (Limited Liability Corporations) drawn on the same bank.
Kelley said the wording of the articles, which appeared in May 2010, accused him of violating state ethics laws that prohibit lobbyists from soliciting or handling campaign donations for statewide candidates.
In his testimony Monday, Kelley said he was unaware that Dean planned to give Barrett the donations. Kelley said he would have attended the luncheon because of his friendship with Barrett, but knew that as a lobbyist he is not allowed to handle or distribute campaign funds.
“I want you to tell them [The Sun News] to quit taking their pen and using it as a sword and slashing the flesh of a reputation,” Kelley’s attorney, Jim Stevens, said during his closing statement Thursday morning.
Attorney Jay Bender, who represented Wren and the newspaper, reminded jurors in his closing remarks that Kelley’s witness, Ethics Commission deputy director and attorney Cathy Hazelwood, testified that an email forwarded April 25, 2010, from Kelley that included a solicitation for funds for Barrett was an ethics violation.
In her testimony, she also said Wren quoted her opinion correctly in his articles in which she said Kelley did not violate any rules by attending the luncheon.
Stevens told jurors that the FBI and IRS investigated the contributions and no arrests have been made or indictments issued in the case.
“I submit to you that the IRS and FBI are better investigators than David Wren,” Stevens said. “David Wren and The Sun News has a duty to report the truth, not lies or fabrications. Fact: David Wren’s articles were understood by the public. … And they understood it to accuse Mark Kelley of a crime.”
Bender told jurors that the newspaper and Wren had been reporting on a series of campaign contributions and were seeking to determine where the money, including that distributed at the luncheon, came from.
Kelley’s reputation was not harmed, Bender told the jury. He had kept his same job with the same clients and has since received a raise from Coastal Carolina University for his work as a lobbyist.
He asked jurors to read the articles in their entirety and they would see the accounts did not defame Kelley or his reputation.
“What’s the role of a newspaper in society? It’s to look into dark places,” Bender said. “We think sometimes people buy influence they are not entitled to.”
Read more here: http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/news/local/article16666328.html#storylink=cpy
Good questions…but what the fuck does this have to do with libel and slander?
Kindly post a link to the judicial opinion, on Justia, or Findlaw, or via Nexus/Lexus search, that shows the actual current disposition of the case.
Has the appeals process been exhausted, thus forcing payment from the defendants? Cite it, fool, if you can find it — or STFU.
And don’t resort to that BS of posing a link about an unrelated case in Canada, involving “Sun Media.” You’re busted bigtime on that one!
By attaching yourself to Fits,with your reputation BOZ, you are only hurting Fits.
Just my opinion.
Can’t find that all-important legal decision on the appeal(s), can you?
Obviously not. No such thing exists. Until it does all your blather about the verdict and its meaning does not amount to a popcorn fart in a hurricane.
One-trick pony. And it’s a stupid trick.
THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA In The Supreme Court In the Matter of Benjamin C. Wofford … The Court has disbarred attorneys for similar instances ……… PER CURIAM: In this attorney disciplinary matter, a full panel of the Commission on Lawyer Conduct recommended respondent be disbarred. …….. FBI — Disbarred Lawyer Sentenced to Federal Prison. COLUMBIA, SC—United States Attorney Bill Nettles stated that John Mark Marino, formerly known as Ronald Mark Hunter …… THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA In The Supreme Court. In the Matter of Oliver W. Johnson, III Respondent. Opinion … (Panel) recommended that Respondent be disbarred. …… Charleston attorney was disbarred, accused of pocketing hundreds of thousands of dollars …….Disbarred SC lawyer pleads guilty identity theft charges …. SC reinstates lawyer disbarred for polygamy…… A local lawyer who pleaded guilty to 11 misdemeanors related to smuggling contraband into the Richmond County jail has been disbarred from practicing law …..
— ???
I think the liberals are now turning on the Trial Lawyers, because one is coming after liberal-friendly FITS…
They are eating each other alive…and it’s a beautiful sight…a pre-cursor to the 2016 Hillary Sweepstakes…or who can take it away from the Queen…
It will be BLOODY, for sure…Can’t wait… (:
Definitely something to think about.
Dangerous times for corrupt lawmakers who accept shadowy campaign contributions and use campaign money in illegal ways. Extortion. Soliciting bribes in connection with federal programs. Fraud. Corrupt lawmakers from both sides of the aisle are polluting our government.
PLEASE STOP…I’ve already F*#ked up enough…..this ain’t no fun any more…
Signed: FITS
LMAO…
If you’re gonna be a smartass, first you have to be smart. Otherwise you’re just an ass.
Not posted by the real Buz, but true, nonetheless.
An Horry County jury ruled in favor of Myrtle Beach area lobbyist Mark Kelley against The Sun News and investigative reporter David Wren on claims Kelley was defamed in articles written in 2010 about campaign contributions made a year earlier.
The jury awarded $400,000 in actual damages and $250,000 in punitive damages against the newspaper and Wren. The jury deliberated for more than four hours before reaching unanimous verdicts on the two types of damages.
Kelley filed the suit in May 2012 against Wren and The Sun Publishing Co., seeking actual damages to compensate for “his loss of and/or damage to his good name, his personal and business reputation,” according to the suit.
He declined to comment about the verdict after the trial.
“We are, of course, disappointed with the jury’s verdict and continue to stand by the reporting of David Wren and the journalistic ethics of The Sun News,” said Carolyn Callison Murray, editor and vice president of the newspaper. Attorneys will make post-trial arguments before the judge on Monday and the news organization will decide after that whether to appeal the ruling, she said.
The trial began Monday afternoon with opening statements and testimony, which often hinged on issues of grammar, and continued through Wednesday evening.
The judge ruled before testimony began that Kelley is a public figure, which meant the jury had to determine that actual malice was involved on the part of the reporter and newspaper.
The articles dealt with a June 2009 luncheon attended by Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Brad Dean, Kelley, then-S.C. gubernatorial candidate Gresham Barrett and a Barrett campaign staff member. At the luncheon, Dean presented Barrett with an envelope containing $84,000 in campaign donations, most of which were on sequentially numbered checks from LLCs (Limited Liability Corporations) drawn on the same bank.
Kelley said the wording of the articles, which appeared in May 2010, accused him of violating state ethics laws that prohibit lobbyists from soliciting or handling campaign donations for statewide candidates.
In his testimony Monday, Kelley said he was unaware that Dean planned to give Barrett the donations. Kelley said he would have attended the luncheon because of his friendship with Barrett, but knew that as a lobbyist he is not allowed to handle or distribute campaign funds.
“I want you to tell them [The Sun News] to quit taking their pen and using it as a sword and slashing the flesh of a reputation,” Kelley’s attorney, Jim Stevens, said during his closing statement Thursday morning.
Attorney Jay Bender, who represented Wren and the newspaper, reminded jurors in his closing remarks that Kelley’s witness, Ethics Commission deputy director and attorney Cathy Hazelwood, testified that an email forwarded April 25, 2010, from Kelley that included a solicitation for funds for Barrett was an ethics violation.
In her testimony, she also said Wren quoted her opinion correctly in his articles in which she said Kelley did not violate any rules by attending the luncheon.
Stevens told jurors that the FBI and IRS investigated the contributions and no arrests have been made or indictments issued in the case.
“I submit to you that the IRS and FBI are better investigators than David Wren,” Stevens said. “David Wren and The Sun News has a duty to report the truth, not lies or fabrications. Fact: David Wren’s articles were understood by the public. … And they understood it to accuse Mark Kelley of a crime.”
Bender told jurors that the newspaper and Wren had been reporting on a series of campaign contributions and were seeking to determine where the money, including that distributed at the luncheon, came from.
Kelley’s reputation was not harmed, Bender told the jury. He had kept his same job with the same clients and has since received a raise from Coastal Carolina University for his work as a lobbyist.
He asked jurors to read the articles in their entirety and they would see the accounts did not defame Kelley or his reputation.
“What’s the role of a newspaper in society? It’s to look into dark places,” Bender said. “We think sometimes people buy influence they are not entitled to.”
Read more here: http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/news/local/article16666328.html#storylink=cpy
Sayonara dumbass!
Who cares. That case does not have much significance in this one. Apparently, you are ignoring the facts and the body of Bingham’s complaint. When you read the same, then come back and try again. A counterclaim and discovery will destroy what is left of Bingham.
Naw…nothing is relevant, is it? You say the suit against FITS has no chance…and that makes it so…LMAO…
Thank God for the judicial system…Dumb@$$…
When you are dead and gone, nobody will miss you. You poor poor sick and twisted sociopath. *Smiles*
Isn’t that what Hitler said about the Jewish people…
You’re a very nice little liberal..aren’t you? …Adolph would be as proud of you…as Obama is…LMAO…
I could eat a bowl of alphabet soup and shit out a smarter statement than that.
+10.5
The smartest thing ever to come out of your mouth was a penis.
Are you a BIGOT against homosexuals…????
Do you think they really always come OUT of his mouth?
YEP!
As promised, I will continue to call you out on this blatant attempt to keep people from openly criticizing public officials.
CITE the judicial opinion ending the appeal process on the Kelley v Wren, et. al. verdict, and PROVING that Kelley has collected $$$$ from the defendants on it.
CITE IT or STFU, troll.
Who is paying you?????????
Who is paying for all these crazed post?
I am amused by these developments.
Speight and Bingham are complete dickweeds!! One is cupping the balls as the other is caressing the others ass.
Whatever happen to that bogus blog Speight had? Wasn’t called the garnet spy or some other dumbass name? I read a few articles he wrote and was not impressed. Never been impressed with Bingham either. He needed be gone a long time ago. He just looks like a greasy politician.
Gay reference?
No.They just keep fucking up.
Why are you a BIGOT against homosexuals???..
.You liberals get MASSIVE vote counts from the Gay community….why do you attack them when it’s convenient???
11:59 pm 5.14.15 —- Fox News and Daily Mail have not yet reported on this important story.
You know, if if Will doesn’t have any friends who sit behind the bench or quality lawyers willing to take his case, at least he count on friends among the jurors. You know the citizens of South Carolina that John E. Parker will be reminding that Fitsnews called 5 hem “DUMB AS ROCKS”.
“Garbage” also posted some bullshit link to a case in Canada, completely unrelated to the Kelley v Wren, et. al. verdict, involving a Canadian entity called “Sun Media”, in order to, supposedly, prove that there has been a final ending to the appeal process, and that Kelley has collected $$$$$ money on it. A blatant attempt to goose up the “fear factor” against anyone daring to criticize public officals in South Carolina.
Shame on you for endorsing “Garbage” … obviously a Bingham sycophant.
“Garbage In, Garbage Out”, as they say.
Hey Boz…How you is???…LMAO…
Add FITS to TSN to publications you have helped ruin….with friends like you….LMAO….
You are wrong. I pinged Garbage. Garbage checks out.
Dingbat is well on his way to being destroyed forever. He just really fucked himself big time now. Doesn’t this clown know that the people of South Carolina will look at him as a super stuck up and fucked up egomaniac corrupt sack of shit??? This guy will lose it all for sure now. High dollar lawyer or not. He is finished. By the end of next week, he will not be able to show his ugly face anywhere in public. He makes me laugh!
Who is paying you?????????????????????
Who is paying YOU?
Who is paying ANYBODY, and why the hell won’t anybody pay ME? I can wake up from a cold sleep in the middle of the night and post reams of this kinda shit. Gotta be worth something to somefuckingbody.
Become An Internet Poster, Like Kevin and Grand Tango, In Your Spare Time .. Make Quick Money Online 30 Min Coaching Session 1-on-1 Free of $997 Value. Learn How To Use Your Government Computer For Surfing News Sites. Get Instant Access.
Associated Press SC: State lawmakers were indicted on bribery charges Wednesday in a federal probe of Statehouse corruption.
Looks like FITS may have some company in jail…if you keep it up…LMAO
Boz can’t help himself.Look for a Tom Rice,Wayne Gray or MBACC barrage in 3-2-1….GO BOZ!!!!
As per libel INSURANCE.
Suppose I’m in insurer in the medical industry. A doctor comes to me and asks for a malpractice policy.
This doctor has a medical degree, but he’s never practiced convetional medicine, or performed surgery. But now he tells me he wants to, out of the blue.
This doctor has a criminal record, and past addiction issues. He has worked in the hospital, in an administrative role, but he was known as a flame-thrower, gratuitously endeavoring to assassinate the character of those in the building.
Are you going to write this “doctor” a policy, and how much will the policy be,and how many exclusion will it contain?
Associated Press SC: State citizens demand federal investigation into Statehouse.
Thanks for sharing…
And (on a personal note) will that be admissible in a libel/slander suit against a “Maverick” internet blogger…????…LMAO…Signed: FITS…
It’s Boz.Wonder when Will will tell him to STFU?
Boz can add FITS to his list of take-downs…with TSN…
Nobody rides for free…at least for very long…LMAO…
Tango Doodoo?????????????????????E??????????? ?????????????????????
More lawmakers might be under federal investigation
COLUMBIA - Federal and state authorities are investigating allegations that South Carolina lawmakers sold their votes
…. his indictment on federal corruption charges is only a matter of time.
State Sen. Thomas Libous has pleaded not guilty to a federal indictment accusing him of making false statements to the FBI during investigation.
indicted on bribery charges … according to a federal grand jury indictment unsealed Friday. … 55 years possible for ex-lawmakers
Legislative system under indictment
Lawyers help me put here..if somehow this guy were to actually win the lawsuit….aside from some retraction, what could he get? There’s no such thing as wage garnishment in SC except for taxes and child support. If there was some sort of payment determined by the court in a civil case, basically it’s like “you win” type thing, isn’t it? It doesn’t appear Fits really has anything of value..so what’s left?
The founder not lose much of anything. Bingham, on the other hand … .. .
Who is paying you, professional anonymous poster.
How paid you to pervert the truth with several hundred post?
Hopefully this is ‘settled’ and we can go back to electing Rubio and saving America from the despot currently occupying the wHite House.
You liberals construct the most IGNORANT scenarios…in an effort to try to avoid the justice you so lustfully invited…
STFU..if you did the crime, take the medicine…@$$hole…There is not a set of rules for liberals, that allows you to break the law and walk…at least not in SC. We still have some reasonable decorum here, Thank God…
You would not know decorum if it jumped up your miserable ass and chased Lemmiwinks out of there.
Another substantial post of mine, met w/ ZERO Content…other than expression of liberal ignorance…why do you even bother if you can’t do any better than that? You just make yourselves look bad.
+10 for slavishly pop-culture-addicted reference to the classic “Lemmiwinks” episode of South Park.
GT loves it when you do that. Keep feeding that beast.
I don’t really like replying to you, but since you trolled me, I’ll do it.
There’s nothing ignorant about my question. If there is no money to get, all the winner in a civil case is left with is basically a notarized “IOU”. I doubt there could be any property liens assigned, but even if so..they are only valuable if the property is sold.
So as I asked before…what’s left?
” It doesn’t appear Fits really has anything of value..so what’s left?”
What about the draft of his yet-to-be published book revealing his lurid and thrilling escapades with “you-know-who” …..
Four Alabama state senators are among a group of people indicted on federal … The Justice Department unveiled an indictment ..
Former state lawmaker’s aide indicted
None of your post have anything to do with Folks and Bingham.
You are a paid poster throwing shit at anyone in your way.
Who is paying you?
It seems to be starting up again. Airwaves are broadcasting to hundreds of thousands that a lawmaker who has been questionably paid lots of tax money by way of his businesses regarding government contracts has gone off the deep end.
Such bullshit
Let me tell you what is really interesting in this affair. It is not Bingham or Folks. It is not the lawsuit.
It is the organized, probably compensated, comments on this thread that represent the work of a couple of people that were prepared ahead of time. These comments are not important in and of themselves, but they show that insiders are paying to bash Bingham. People are not paid to look after the interest of “the people,” no, they are paid to keep elected officials away for something. They are paid to keep people way from sweetheart deals or corruption.
All this posted stuff is a ruse. It is a misdirection. The insiders want you to look here while they act “there.” I believe Bingham has been looking at, or become aware of something that people don’t want him to mess with. Those people are probably pushing him to file litigation against Folks at the same time they are running a campaign against him. These people, paying the money, are protecting something.
Find that “something” and you have hit the jackpot. Find that something and you will know the true story.
Agree 100%
In politics, it is never what you see that is important. It is what you don’t see.
That’s why a fart is a FART — ya’ can’t see ’em but ya’ know damn well it’s there..!!
“Something” is amiss.
426 comments and counting/no telling how many site hits
If nothing else, King of Fop has improved skippy’s bottom line
On behalf of bloggers everywhere, thanks
Fucking Cockroach
Somebody is paying these new, fake posters.
Wonder what they are really after?
Could be – however I am inclined to think that Fop has pissed off a whole lot of people for the past few years and now that they smell rancid blood why not swoop in and take a few bites of the carcass – this group includes his fellow Cockroaches, some of whom would like to see him fall on his ass or worse
Didn’t see this one coming – find it hard to believe that any sitting Legislator would voluntarily put themselves in the position of being put under oath and put on the record to give a deposition
100s of lawyers agree with you. It was a bad judgment call to file suit against this website. Why not pick on The Nerve?
Those hits will feel real good when that judge reads “GUILTY” on ALL counts….
It’s Dumb@$$#$ like you, who prod FITS along…yet you’ll be sittin’ up at the beer joint, fat slob and sloppy drunk…while FITS’ whole life is collapsing around him, for being an @$$hole idiot, to entertain a brain-dead sot, like you….
Given the number of comments you have made on this post it is apparent that the toilet in the basement of your momma’s single wide has flooded and you are eyeball deep in GT shit
Your comment is in keeping w/ the usual level of intelligence and creativity you exhibit.
Enjoy court…LMAO…
thanks
Its time to shut down the trashy immature mouth of GT. And there are dozens of legal ways to have him kicked off the internet. Today we start lodging formal complaints with government agencies, including the FCC, DISQUS, internetabuse.org, and his service provider and phone company.
Who are “we” ..? And why are you posting anonymously — heh? ——- CONFESS..!!
you don’t plead guilty in a civil action, you nitwit.
Regardless…the result will be the same..Dumb@$$….
Parsing jargon won’t do a D*#n thing for you…with the verdict is in…LMAO…
The result could be that you get banned from this site at long last. What will you do with your time? You’ll be out of a job and people might be laughing at you.
Oh…you can dish it out…but when it comes back on you..you are not big enough to take what you asked for…typical liberal punks…
Slander and possibly assault. Maybe I should sue you? I’m a private citizen. I have the means to do it and a voting record to dispute that claim.
When you call yourself Garbage…how the H#!! will you sue anyone for anything, along the lines of Defamation….Idiot…LMAO…
Or: Are you admitting you post under various and numerous names in order to commit slander and get away w/ it???…and which anonymous persona can you claim was assaulted?????…
To see you come unhinged…is HILARIOUS…you are some Ignorant MoFos…
You haven’t seen unhinged unless you watched the video embedded in this article.
I’ve wasted enough of my precious time on your petty comments. Troll on.
I hardly ever click on your links. If you’re too stupid to articulate it, I don’t need to see what your puppet masters – or mouthpieces- say in your stead…They are usually as empty as you…
You’re, dull, lame, unintelligent, trite and vapid…And remember: truth is a defense, if you plan to sue me for characterizing you…so you have not a chance to prove me wrong…LMAO…
Didn’t post a link.
Who is paying you to trash Bingham???
Please explain how you lost your website? Were you sued?
Who is paying you? Who is paying you to post stupid comments over and over again?
Am I the only one here who wants to know the identity of the entity named as Fits’ “parent company”? Paging Howard Rich?
Awsome, WILL, see me.
You know what’s interesting now that a full day has passed since this story broke?
I can’t find one report in local MSM about this lawsuit. NOT ONE!
(If someone can, please enlighten me)
Why isn’t the head of House ethics suing an outlet big news?
Just yesterday, The State(mindless gov’t cheerleaders) on a blog posted a comment from Bingham himself on Nelson:
http://www.thestate.com/news/politics-government/politics-columns-blogs/the-buzz/article21019731.html
Isn’t it ironic? What, The State couldn’t be bothered to simply ask him about his lawsuit?
….and these geniuses wonder why their business is suffering….
Who is paying you? Who is paying you to post over and over and over?
You’re paranoid as hell. I’m not same guy you’ve been accusing over and over again(assuming “he” is the same guy).
Why are you spending so much time here accusing everyone? What do you have to gain/lose?
No one wants to touch this story. That is my opinion. It is no secret that the GOP has no love for FITS.
Any reporter and/or editor worth their salt, knows to have copies of the pleadings in their hands. It will break next week, and it will could put Bingham in a very negative light as an out of control vindictive public servant. Did you note how he went off in the video above and his constituents admonished him to back off?
“Any reporter and/or editor worth their salt, knows to have copies of the pleadings in their hands.”
Why is that? Can’t they report the filing itself? It seems a reasonable standard.
One poster just put up two links to small time outlets that at least reported it…(above)
How is paying you to trash Bingham?
“Details of the lawsuit were not immediately available and Bingham, not surprisingly, did not respond to our request for a comment.”
So, can we infer that a lawsuit has allegedly been filed against this very blog, but not served on them? Otherwise, why would they not know the ‘details’?
439 comments…do 439 people outside of Bingham’s district know he exists, much less that he’s a legislator?
Apparently not served? The suit is public record in Lexington County. Someone posted the case # yesterday:
Lexington County
2015-CP-32-01764
Kenneth A Bingham v. William R Folks III and Fitsnews LLC
Bingham represented by John E Parker
You seem to be assuming there is only one comment per commenter. Not the case.
I think the “not immediately available” was about the situation when Folks first learned of the suit. Obviously he now has the details — as do we all.
I agree, there are more than one comment per commenter. Do you have a link of details? Probably posted on Lexington Counties site. I haven’t checked it today.
Almost all of these are paid comments.
Who is paying to bash Bingham?
GT is responsible for all but 4 or 5.
Change of Venue. But as everyone in SC will learn of this suit, as most all citizens know the legislature is corrupt, fat chance at Bingham winning any jury awards; especially with his strong ties to now convicted House Speaker Bobby Harrell.
paid comments
who is paying you to bash Kenny?
I am being paid by you.
You are not paying me enough. I want more than just an Arizona Tea and a bag of Skittles.
Skittles!! I demand a raise.
B.B. King has departed this life —today I’ll be listening to my collection of his music…
The Thrill Is Gone, but his music lives on.
Shifty it may be up to us to bring back civility to the chaos, lest I contribute to it. In honor of BB King, music may be the order that saves the day.
There’s some truth to that — may come back later with thoughts
South Carolina has a law against Frivolous Lawsuits.
It’s called the “ABUSE OF PROCESS LAW.”
I suggest Will Folks look it up and hire a good law firm and counter sue for $millions.
Counterclaim is an absolute must. Maybe even a motion to add compel the addition of others in the statehouse who are entwined in collusion with Bingham. The public needs to see the real dirt that has been going on behind the iron curtain.
Paid comments
Dear Kenny Bingham, ………you may want to pull a Nelson Hardwick and resign. Since the NSA has been collecting every phone call and email and “wink”, do you not think that a certain witness can be called via FOI…? You do know that Mr. Folks can get readers to view you like Kenny on South Park…and Jurors too. Matter of fact, how would Kenny on South Park teach kids across our state how use a website to teach Jurors about American Engineering before the TRIAL ever starts? We wonder how much land “perks” around Orangeburg…….certain veterans would love to know who suffer from “burnpit” exposure instead of having Plasma waste to energy converters installed in every subdivision across our state instead of methane tapping landfills being lollipopped to a corporate campaign donor.
Kenny, why do you think the Keystone pipeline gets so much press instead of the Yellowstone National Park Geo-thermal energy “pipeline”..?
Kenny, may the Sea Coast “trinity” have mercy upon your soul……..
I am glad you have decided to walk down into the valley of love and embrace my entire philosophy on the ham. Now your cold cold heart is healed.
There is not going to be any “Judge Shopping” afforded to Parker in this case.
Please, please, please hire Todd Kincannon to represent you! That would be an awesome show…I’ll buy the popcorn.
Who is paying you and why?
Its started. Bingham will be hammered from so many directions, he might have to check into a mental institution. I feel sorry for his family.
Rep. Kenny Bingham files libel, slander suit…
lexingtonchronicle.com/rep-kenny-bingham-files…suit…Cached
South Carolina House Rep. Kenny Bingham (R-Cayce) has filed a lawsuit in Lexington County against Will Folks of FITSNews. Bingham is charging Folks with libel and …
Rep. Bingham files slander, defamation suit…
lakeandmain.net/…bingham-files-slander-defamation-suit…Cached
May 11, 2015 · Rep. Bingham files slander, defamation suit against Will Folks of FITSNews. South Carolina State Representative Kenny Bingham (R-Cayce) has filed a lawsuit …
Paid comments
Who is paying you to bash Bingham?
Who is paying you to post over and over? Who is paying you to speculate, lie, liable and mislead?
Who is paying you??
Who is paying you to trash Bingham?
Who and why? That is the real story.
I just read Bingham’s complaint against Fitsnews. Its weak and easy to tear apart. It might survive a motion to dismiss, but never a jury trial.
But.. but South Carolina jurors are Dumb as Rocks.
Yesterday it listed jury, today it is common plea. No idea the difference, until I look it up….
Paid comments
Who is paying you?
****…..meanwhile on a Wando High School episode of “South Park”…****
South Park Kenny: Wow, Cartman……look at that Port Royal Rail line that runs through Hampton County….
Judge Cartman: What does that have to do with American Engineering and Waste Water treatment contracts and campaign loot…..?
Kenny Bingham: Yea….you tell’em judge Cartman…..
South Park Kenny: Let’s be clear here……..Members of the Jury, would like to know if Kenny Bingham whiffed 900 Million to BOEING with out filibustering for a statewide VOTE for taxpayers. Talk about treating taxpayers like Civil War slaves..!
Judge Cartman: WOW….what corporation gets 900 Million without a vote by citizens.
Kenny Bingham: I object…….
South Park Kenny: Ya know…..Kenny Bingham, we wonder just how “clean” the Savannah River really is.? You do have an employee named Craig A. Kirby P.E. …..do you not..?
Kenny Bingham: What episode of South Park is this…?
South Park Kenny: Your worst Wando High School Media department nightmare…..
Kenny Bingham: Please don’t tell Chef……….
Who is paying you to post over and over? Who is paying you to speculate, lie, liable and mislead?
Who is paying you?
Nobody. I work for free, but I am not trashing an elected official.
Who is paying you?
Nobody. I work for free, but I am not trashing an elected official.
Who is paying you?
Here is your YCMTSU nugget for the week, just especially for the trolls who keep posting about the Mark Kelley lawsuit verdict in the hopes of striking fear into Will and others:
One of Kelley’s “star witnesses” resigned from the SC House in the last few days.
Boz I can’t believe you are going after Mark Kelley AGAIN!
I don’t like how Bingham conducts the publics business. Therefore, I might decide to exercise my 1st Amendment right and file an ethics complaint against him for reasons I will not disclose here. He or anyone of his cronies attempt by any means, measures, or act, to retaliate or even to intimidate me, I will be forced to file criminal civil rights charges with the United States Department of Justice in Washington, DC.
Many of the trolls, especially the new ones who have popped up in this thread, may well be Bingham stooges. If so, given the nature of some of them, the comments may well represent harassment. Highly inappropriate to engage in such activity directly after filing a suit for defamation.
Paid comments
If you have just noticed inappropriate comments, you haven’t been here long.
Paid comments.