On Thursday, Judge Keith Kyle ruled that former Mayor Ray Murphy and former Council member Bill Veach must provide a limited amount of discovery in the defamation lawsuit filed against them by Karen Woodson and John King.
Murphy and Veach have asked Kyle to dismiss the case calling it an anti-SLAPP lawsuit. An anti-SLAPP law is a legal mechanism that allows defendants to quickly dismiss meritless lawsuits aimed at silencing public participation and free speech. SLAPP stands for “Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation.” Veach and Murphy argue that this lawsuit is a violation of their 1st amendment rights.
Woodson and King filed the defamation lawsuit against Murphy and Veach alleging they lied about them when gathering signatures for the recall. Veach and Murphy were the co-chairs of the recall committee…