Candidates don't always make good on everything they say they'll do in the midst of a heated political campaign. But billionaire real estate developer Jeff Greene plans to follow up on legal threats he issued during his unsuccessful Florida Senate bid: He's preparing to sue the St. Petersburg Times and Miami Herald for libel.
Greene says he wants to "punish" two newspapers for coverage he criticized while running a few weeks ago. The New York Times reports Greene has hired libel lawyer L. Lin Wood, who told the paper he expects to file a formal complaint Wednesday in state court in Miami-Dade County.
"I want to send a message to every newspaper in the country: Do your homework," Greene told the New York Times. "I deserve to have the record corrected, and they deserve to be punished."
Greene is expected to seek $500 million in damages for articles detailing extravagant parties and alleged drug use on his 145-foot yacht, along with reporting on how he profited off the subprime mortgage crsis.
St. Petersburg Times Editor Neil Brown defended the articles, saying in an email quoted by the New York Times: "The Times' coverage of Mr. Greene and his business transactions has been thorough and fair, and the reporting is well-documented in public records."
Greene, who's been very successful in business, may have a tough time winning in court.
Public figures seeking libel judgments need to prove actual malice on the part of the reporters involved in order to win their suits.
Private individuals, unaccustomed to the media spotlight, have to meet a lower legal threshold in order to collect damages.
(Photo of Greene: AP/Brendan Farrington)
There are no comments yet