A judge declined to dismiss a $750 million defamation lawsuit filed against CBS by JonBenet Ramsey’s brother.
The Boulder Daily Camera reports a circuit court judge in Michigan on Friday denied a motion by CBS and other defendants who asked that he toss the case.
Michigan 3rd Circuit Court District Judge David Groner also denied a defense motion for $150million by Burke Ramsey, now 30, against pathologist, Werner Spitz, who was included in the documentary.
FILE – In this June 29, 2006, file photo, John Ramsey hugs his son, Burke, facing camera, at the graves of his wife, Patsy, and daughter JonBenet, during services for his wife at the St. James Episcopal Cemetery in Marietta, Ga. A judge has declined to dismiss a $750 million defamation lawsuit filed against CBS by JonBenet Ramsey’s brother, Burke Ramsey. The Boulder Daily Camera reports a circuit court judge in Michigan on Friday, Jan. 5, 2018, denied a motion by CBS and other defendants who asked that he toss the case. (AP Photo/Ric Feld, File)
Burke Ramsey sued CBS in December 2016, saying his reputation was ruined after a two-part docu-series that concluded he killed his 6-year-old sister more than two decades ago.
The beauty pageant star was found dead in the basement of her family’s home in Boulder the day after Christmas in 1996. A prosecutor cleared her parents and brother in 2008 based on DNA evidence.
According to Burke Ramsey’s suit, ‘The gist of ‘The Case Of: JonBenet Ramsey’ is that JonBenet’s brother, Burke Ramsey, killed his six-year-old sister.’ It went on to state, ‘The gist of ‘The Case Of: JonBenet Ramsey’ is false and defamatory per se. Burke Ramsey did not kill his sister and had no involvement in her brutal murder.’
Included in the lawsuit were CBS Corporation, Los Angeles-based Critical Content and seven additional experts who were cited in the piece.
The defendants argued that the statement of Burke killing his sister ‘was never made in the series.’
They also added a disclaimer that appears in both the end and beginning of the series that added: ‘The opinions and conclusions of the investigators who appear on this program about how it may have occurred represent just some of a number of possible scenarios.’
Groner explained, in Friday’s ruling, that ‘the statements at issue and the docu-series as a whole could reasonably be understood as stating actual facts’ about the plaintiff.
He added: ‘This Court does not find that the ‘disclaimer’ at the beginning and end of the program negate the docu-series potentially defamatory meaning.’
‘This very preliminary procedural ruling was issued prior to any evidence being presented. It is based solely on the plaintiff’s complaint. Should the case move forward, we look forward to defending it on its merits,’ CBS said in a statement.
John Ramsey, JonBenet’s father, also filed a defamation lawsuit in October against CBS and the other defendants listed by his son.
CBS has also motioned to have that dismissed.