GCI - Record-Breaking Defamation Verdict: Jury Awards Scott Sapulpa $25 Million in Landmark Defamation Case Against the Oklahoman Owned by Gannett | Benzinga
MUSKOGEE, Okla., Feb. 05, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In a historic decision, a jury in Muskogee County District Court, Oklahoma, has delivered a $25 million verdict in favor of Scott Sapulpa, a former assistant football coach, against The Oklahoman newspaper, the state's largest paper owned by Gannett Co Inc (NYSE:GCI). The jury found Sapulpa's claim compelling and awarded him $5 million in compensatory damages and an additional $20 million in punitive damages. The record-breaking verdict results from a defamation lawsuit by Sapulpa, represented by Smith Barkett Law Group.
Sapulpa's legal battle stems from being falsely identified by The Oklahoman as the individual responsible for racist comments directed towards the Norman High School girls' basketball team during a national anthem kneeling incident. Matt Rowan, the play-by-play announcer responsible for broadcasting the tournament game, later released a statement taking responsibility for the racist rant, acknowledging that he, not Sapulpa, was the source.
As detailed by reporter Michael Duncan, who covered the trial, Mike Barkett, an attorney for Sapulpa, told the jury, "Scott was labeled a racist. He was labeled vile." ...