Please E-mail suggested additions, comments and/or corrections to Kent@MoreLaw.Com.

Help support the publication of case reports on MoreLaw

Dennis L. Stewart v. The Oklahoma Publishing Company, Griffin Communications, Inc., and NewsOK.com

Date: 09-19-2003

Case Number: CJ-02-00490

Judge: Donald D. Thomspon

Court: District Court, Creek Count, Oklahoma

Plaintiff's Attorney:

Douglas E. Stall of Latham Stall Wagner Steele, Tulsa, Oklahoma and R. Michael Cole of Fuller, Chlouber & Frizzell, Tulsa, Oklahoma

Defendant's Attorney:

Cliff A. Stark of Kelly Stark Mitchell & Martin, Tulsa, Oklahoma

Phil Rounds of Smiling Law Firm, Tulsa, Oklahoma

Jon A. Epstein of Hall, Estill, Hardwick, Gable, Golden & Nelson, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Robert W. Nelson of Whitten, Nelson, McGuire, Wood, Terry, Roselius & Dittrich, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Description:

Defamation claim by the plaintiff, Dennis L. Stewart, who claimed that he was harmed as a result of the publication by the defendants, Oklahoma Publishing Company, Griffin Television, and NewsOK.com, of information received from the Oklahoma Department of Corrections, that a sex offender lived at the address where the plaintiff lived. The Daily Oklahoman and Oklahoma City's KWTV-Channel 9 jointly operate www.NewsOK.com which received an E-mail from the Oklahoma Department of Corrections that contained sex offender data. NewsOK.com put the database on its server and made it accessible through a search page.

The defendants claimed an absolute privilege with regard to the publication because the information that they received was re-published without change.

The plaintiff, age 46, who moved to Collinsville, Oklahoma in May 2001, and worked at a local cement, is an ordained minister. In February 2002, a neighbor contacted others in the neighborhood telling them that Plaintiff was a registered sex offender. She had obtained the information from the NewsOK site and distributed the information to her neighbors in a flier.

Outcome:

Plaintiff's verdict for $200,000 in compensatory damages and $3.5 million in punitive damages.

Plaintiff's Experts:

Unavailable

Defendant's Experts:

Unavailable

Comments:

None

About This Case

What was the outcome of Dennis L. Stewart v. The Oklahoma Publishing Company, Gri...?

The outcome was: Plaintiff's verdict for $200,000 in compensatory damages and $3.5 million in punitive damages.

Which court heard Dennis L. Stewart v. The Oklahoma Publishing Company, Gri...?

This case was heard in District Court, Creek Count, Oklahoma, OK. The presiding judge was Donald D. Thomspon.

Who were the attorneys in Dennis L. Stewart v. The Oklahoma Publishing Company, Gri...?

Plaintiff's attorney: Douglas E. Stall of Latham Stall Wagner Steele, Tulsa, Oklahoma and R. Michael Cole of Fuller, Chlouber & Frizzell, Tulsa, Oklahoma. Defendant's attorney: Cliff A. Stark of Kelly Stark Mitchell & Martin, Tulsa, Oklahoma Phil Rounds of Smiling Law Firm, Tulsa, Oklahoma Jon A. Epstein of Hall, Estill, Hardwick, Gable, Golden & Nelson, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Robert W. Nelson of Whitten, Nelson, McGuire, Wood, Terry, Roselius & Dittrich, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

When was Dennis L. Stewart v. The Oklahoma Publishing Company, Gri... decided?

This case was decided on September 19, 2003.