DETROIT, MI (AP)-- The Detroit News says a former state lawmaker and his lawyer agreed to pay $20,000 to settle a lawsuit against the newspaper.
Ex-Representative Todd Courser had filed a defamation lawsuit against the News for a 2015 report about efforts to cover up an affair with another lawmaker. The case was dismissed by a judge. But Courser and attorney Matthew DePerno were also ordered to pay about $80,000 in sanctions.
The settlement this week ended the dispute just before the Michigan Court of Appeals had planned to hear arguments.
News publisher and editor Gary Miles says the settlement shows that “frivolous lawsuits” against news organizations “will not be taken lightly.”
