Wright is upset about a 2009 post on Tony's that accused Wright of receiving kickbacks from the contributions that firefighters make to the United Way. Botello attributed the "TKC EXCLUSIVE" to his "TIPSTERS." In the lawsuit, Wright says he has "never received any money or other compensation" from the United Way.
Wright claims that he was also defamed by a YouTube video that Tony's Kansas City shared on two occasions in May. The video, titled "KCFD criminal," protests the controversial merger of the MAST ambulance service into the Kansas City Fire Department. One of the images in the video superimposes prison bars over Wright's face.
In his lawsuit, which was filed in Jackson County, Wright says he was "exposed to hatred and contempt and deprived of public confidence" by the video. Wright says he did not receive any financial benefit as a result of the merger.
The suit lists Botello, John Doe No. 1 and John Doe No. 2 as defendants. The John Does are the unidentified sources who provided Botello with the material in question.
Wright is widely regarded as the most powerful union official in Kansas City, serving as president of Local 42 from 1980 until 1988 and from 1995 to the present.
The Kansas City Star reported on August 3 that Wright would not seek another term as the union's chief executive. News of Wright's intention to step aside, fed by a "KICK-ASS TKC TIPSTER," appeared on Tony's Kansas City on July 28.
Botello did not immediately respond to a request for comment. UPDATE: Botello e-mailed his response to the suit:
I'll pretend to be flip about this for now . . . But the fact that the most powerful political operative in Kansas City is the only person to have even threatened to sue my blog says a lot about my work, I guess.I am both ill-equipped and completely unprepared to face a lawsuit of any kind.
Like every other elected official in Kansas City, I will be forced to grovel at the feet of outgoing Local 42 President Louie Wright. This probably means the end of the blog. As for the people whom I owe money, he's gonna have to stand in line.
Corrupt and incompetent union politics have decimated Kansas City's fiances and our ambulance service. I have no doubt this effort aimed at crushing even the slightest dissent at TKC - The Only Free Speech Zone in Kansas City - Will completely succeed.
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Louie has always had an over sized ego. I also wouldn't be surprised if there wasn't some funny business in that Union. I recall when XXXXXX was the President. Louie helped him get elected if I'm not mistaken. They were buddies until the felony conviction. Good luck Louie. Odds are not in your favor.
Have you ever heard the phrase "Another good story ruined by the facts." It's a common joke in the journalism profession, because journalists know that when you hear a juicy rumor that is just the beginning, and many (most?) juicy rumors are shot to smithereens by the most cursory check of the facts -- whether they turn out to be blatantly untrue, based on a misunderstanding or mistake, the facts have been stretched, etc. Hence, most of these potentially "juicy stories" never see the light of day because any responsible reporter actually reports. However, when you have people like Tony "reporting" from their mom's basement, they apparently are under the impression that the rumor IS the story. No fact checking needed. They need to learn this is unacceptable.
akent ... "don't have the resources?" BOO -f-ing HOO! Surely Tony's mom has a phone, no? And we all know Tony has all the time in the world to Google a phone number, pick up the phone paid for by his mom, and make a call to ask the victim for comment, no? Maybe Tony could spend some of the time he currently uses to hunt down soft core porn calling his victims to give them the courtesy of a reply. It's not a matter of resources. It's a matter of, if Tony checked his facts or talked to the victims of his basement bullying, he would not have any "juicy" "stories" to publish!
akent ... PUH-LEEEEEZE?! "Investigative reporting"? Botello doesn't even bother to call any of his victims to see if they have any comment or can correct his false info. He's too lazy to even pick up the phone, let alone spend hours poring over documents and tracking down facts, as investigative reporting involves. He once published some B.S. (thanks to another "KICKASS TIPSTER") libeling a community member in Kansas City, claiming this person had committed acts of domestic violence and stalking that were reflected in public records. Turned out to be a different person with the same name. Oops! I think that person should have sued the loser for libel, but obviously did not want to spend his own funds knowing the loser has no money and he would never recover anything to cover his legal fees and time. This type of crap could be avoided if the loser would get off his lazy %$$ and pick up the phone, as any newbie reporter would do. Please don't dignify his crap by calling it "investigative reporting." What a joke.
Tim, I would hope that we have more than our reputations at the end of the day! Once again, what is being asserted in the defense of such laws is actually a property right of sorts in one's reputation, which is the sum-total of the opinions of everyone in society. I think when looked at in this way, the absurdity of the laws is manifest.
"As oppressive as an out-of-control government agency?" Oh my. Saying bad things about me (which I have - particularly in this day and age - many ways to counteract) may be dishonorable, but in no way compares with - oh, the massacre at Waco, or cops in California beating a homeless guy to death; things that out-of-control government agencies actually do. Poor comparison.
I understand the rationale for the laws, and your defense of them is civil and eloquent (quite a bit removed from most of the posts on this story!) but, regardless of how many people believe them to be proper, the defense of them falls short.
I have a very short list of very basic rights (with common-sense applications). I do not have a right to be free of nasty talk about me. Your opinion is well-put, Tim. Certainly it prevails currently in the legal code. But you are fundamentally wrong.
Peace back at you.
Sorry, akent, but you're wrong. Libel and slander laws have every place in a just and free society because they protect what is one of the most basic rights people have in that society: the right to have their reputation based on facts and true actions, not on the malice of someone with a grudge or a gossip trying to increase readership or page views with a "juicy" story.
I'm a freelance investigative journalist, and the poster who queried about the grounds for libel missed one factor: malice. Typically, to be libelous the claim has to be demonstrably false, cause harm, and arise from malice on the part of the author or the publisher. I didn't read the original piece by Tony, so I don't know if it was based on malice. But Wright will have to prove that some malice, if only due to neglect and the desire to grandstand without regard for the reputation of another person, was present.
Also, libel also has a variable standard based on the public profile of the person alleging the libel. In other words, the more famous you are, the higher the bar for libel. It would be nearly impossible for President Obama to win a libel suit because he's an incredibly public figure. Wright is well-known in KC and so his burden of proof may be higher as well.
Finally, akent, you're obviously a libertarian and I respect that. But the true libertarian view is not to eliminate all laws, but those laws that cause us to be less free. I would argue that freedom to slander or libel others, especially when exercised by those with a platform like a daily newspaper or TV show, robs people of the freedom to be judged as fit for a job or a relationship based only on their words and actions. You are not free to say whatever you like about me if what you say ruins my hard-won reputation, makes people suspect me as a child molester or thief, costs me a job or a promotion or impacts my relationship with my spouse or friends. I think even the most die-hard libertarian would have to agree that having a newspaper publisher or blogger targeting you and trying to ruin your reputation (which, at the end of the day, is all any of us has) is as oppressive as an out of control government agency. Peace.
Botello wasn't saying he had been elected to anything. Reread before you post...
This whole affair plays out all over the country. Botello and his blog and hundreds of other similar efforts are proxies for what once was investigative reporting in this country. News organs don't do much of it anymore because A.) It is expensive to fund, B.) It ruffles the feathers of many people who they depend on for "inside information," and C.) They expose themselves to bullshit suits like that brought by Wright - the difference being that, unlike Tony, these entities have very deep pockets.
The bloggers don't have the resources to check every tip with the thoroughness that they should in an ideal world. On the other hand, they are frequently on the cutting edge of very important stories; stories that major media organs won't touch. The same tired things are said about the blogger/researchers all over the country by people who have an interest in the target of the blogger's investigation, or who are just generally toadies to power.
"He works out of his mom's basement!" "He has no money!" Ha Ha Ha! Dumbass poems composed by someone with way too much time on their hands...I've seen the same responses to investigatory blogs all over this country.
You know what? Until and unless we can figure out a way to bring investigative reporting back into the mainstream of the rot that is journalism today, we're going to have to get some of the truth about local corruption from blogs like "TonysKC." And one of the most important steps that could be taken in that regard would be to begin to eliminate the entire rotten core of "libel and slander" laws - laws that, as I said at the beginning of this ENLIGHTENING exchange, have no business in a free society to begin with.
Tony claims that “Like every other elected official in Kansas City, I will be forced to grovel at the feet of outgoing Local 42 President Louie Wright.” I never knew Tony was elected by anyone. I thought he was just some guy attacking people from the safety of his mom’s basement.
Hey Tony "So Much Cooler Online" Botello -- I wonder how cool you will look sweatin' on the stand in your old T-shirt and jammie bottoms?
Maybe you can ask Brad Paisley for some help with the legal bills. After all, he did make a lot of money from this song he wrote about you: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UE6iAjEv9dQ
If I recall, the rules for libel/defamation are:
1. The statement has to be false.
2. The person being sued has to have known it was false when making the statement.
3. The person filing the suit has to prove that he or she has been damaged by the statement.
Legal scholars want to correct me on this? It seems like Wright has a steep hill to climb, if he wants to win damages, and the law makes it difficult on purpose. Of course, actually winning this suit is probably not the true goal here.
In the Pitch's feature about him, Botello claimed he was immune from this kind of suit, because he has no assets. Guess not.
I didn't realize that a female paramedic's job is to seduce married men in their station. Thought they took care of sick and injured folks. My bad. Does that mean my female doctor is just there to seduce the men in her medical practice?
If the blog goes away, what will the 5 guys who read it do?
No, it doesn't matter what I think. What does matter is the underlying rationale for libel and slander laws. Which is completely contrary to the ideals of a free society.
"Libel is against the law, BTW." Thanks for the legal update!
If lies were being posted about me, I'll guarantee you I would not seek legal redress. I would attempt to engage in reasonable discussion in order to correct the matter. Particularly if I was a honcho such as Louie Wright, I certainly would not lack the resources or the venues to accomplish that.
Far more often, it is the case that libel and slander laws are used to club justified accusers of powerful people. And I don't know that the accusations leveled against Wright are lies. Nor do you.
If "Bobby Goldsboro" enjoys watching Tony squirm in a legal context, that may say more about "Bobby" than it does about Tony...
(To the tune of Watching Scotty Grow)
Makin' up stuff about Louie Wright
Well that ain't too bright, Tony B.
All that stuff about ol' Mayor Funk
It all really stunk, Tony B.
You can have your TV news and papers
Blown up "facts" grown from a tipster's germ
I'll be in court and give a report on what I think he'll learn
Biding my time and watching Tony squirm
"I called McClatchy and guess what they said?"
It was in your head, Tony B.
Talked a while with a guy from P&L
Yeah right, like hell, Tony B.
Couldn't get a job from the big ol' Star
Couldn't use the blog to make ends meet
Court costs, lawyers, all of that, the damage is complete
Biding my time and watching Tony squirm
Tony's day in court will soon be here
But have no fear, Tony B.
Defamation is an awful waste,
How do his balls taste, Tony B?
Biding my time and watching Tony squirm
Ah, Tony - have you finally wised up? You've been played for a patsy. You couldn't be a bigger tool if you had "Craftsman" tattooed across your forehead. Your "KICKASS TKC TIPSTERS" used you to say what they didn't dare under their real identities, and then left you holding the bag. The only saving grace is the fact that you don't really have much they can take - what are they gonna do, kick you out of Mom's basement?
The fact is it doesn't matter what "akent" thinks. What matters is that we live in a country that has libel laws, and publishers need to abide by them. Not only did/does Tony Botello not abide by them, he libels people just about every day and laughs about. This was bound to happen sooner or later. I wonder if he'll still be laughing when he's in court being asked about what actions he took to attempt to verify the libelous B.S. he published.
Akent -- If lies were posted all over the Internet about you, based on bogus information that the person who posted them didn't bother to verify, I wonder how well you would "suck it up." Libel is against the law. BTW.
I don't know whether Wright received kickbacks from firefighter contributions to United Way or not, nor (obviously) do I know the identities of Tony's TIPSTERS. The video that Wright contends "defamed" him no doubt did. I think it was a great video, BTW.
A deeper question is whether suits such as Wright has brought against Botello have any place in the legal system of a free society. As a libertarian, I don't believe that they do. One's "reputation" represents the collective opinions of a great many people, and can be dependent on a huge amount of factors. Neither you nor I nor Louie Wright has a "property right" of any kind in such an amorphous thing. Not to mention that the disparity in wealth between the combatants in such a suit generally favors the wealthy "establishment" figure...
The questions raised by Botello's posts and the video in question are serious, legitimate matters of discussion. That the discussion is often not polite is to be expected. Wright is a powerful figure, who has gained that power by participating in the local political system. If he was corrupted by that participation, or if he himself was the corrupting influence, well...it certainly wouldn't be the first time such corruption has manifested itself around these parts.
Suck it up Louie, drop the suit. If you find value in your "reputation," defend it in a non-legal venue.
Hey TONY -- Why don't you post a link to this article on that sorry excuse for a blog?!! Huh?
To anyone not familiar with libel law (starting with Tony) you might want to try the Googles. Free speech does not mean you can publish slanderous lies about people. Journalists (which explains why Tony doesn't do this) have a responsibility to check into things before they print. No one's perfect, but an honest attempt has to be made. Tony doesn't even try. You know why? Because if he did, he wouldn't have anything to publish and he would learn that his "KICK ASS TIPSTERS" are simply fellow losers who spread gossip, much of it untrue. Tony has been giving libel laws and all of Kansas City the finger for all these years, banking on the fact that no one will sue him because he's a loser with no job, no money and no assets -- not even a car because his mommy owns that too. Finally that strategy backfired and Tony will learn that you can't just publish anything you want about anyone, basement-dwelling loser or not.
Wink- You may want to stop talking about a "prosecutor." This is a civil case, not a criminal case. If you don't understand what that means, maybe you should read up on it before commenting. Tony is finally getting what he deserves. Maybe he'll learn that you can't publish just anything about people and damage their reputations. I'll keep my eye out for another basement for Tony to live in if his mom kicks him out now.
Finally someone had the guts to stand up to this hate-spewing racist "blogger," knowing that he's not going to get a cent out of it and will have to spend his own money to pursue the case. Thanks, Louie. Tony has libeled half the people in town and has never bothered to even attempt to check to see if his claims are true. If this means an "end to the blog" -- GREAT! It's nothing more than a hate rag.
Tony, you have my support to say whatever you want. That's why I volunteered for this country's military. Free speech is a RIGHT of ALL Americans and should not be subjected to the whims of just one man. Besides, if he's upset about a comment made 2 years ago, why didn't he file a lawsuit then? Oh... that's right... he had to get all the right people in all the right places first.
Louie , you've done one hell of a job, increased my standard of living and made residents of Kansas City, Mo. safer. You have my support always.Thank You Jay One, Retired K.C.F.D., and proud union member still.
Tony is a pig and a liar. He's gotten away with spreading rumors and lies for years. He's a hack who could never make it as a real journalist.
your name here-Thanks.
I'm no lawyer obviously, but the fact that it is even taking up time in our courts is ridiculous.
Just what we need.....more bureaucratic waste.
Louie Wright is a very devoted union leader at the forefront of keeping our city safe with a modern fire department. A very recpectful and honorable man. Thanks for your time with our city.
Did you hear his kid Nick defend him on darla Jays show Nick you SUCK as a sports radio host but trying to defend your daddy is a bit much maybe he is suing tony so he can pay off nicks gambling debts
Does anyone realize that the jackson county prosecutors are part of local 42! Hence you scratch our back i'll scratch yours! Just more Louie being shady like usual, he loves to make others look stupid when they don't agree with him, but heaven for bid anyone makes him look stupid by telling the facts of his dirty deeds!!
To the person, and I use that term loosely, who wrote, "slutty female paramedics"...... It takes TWO sluts to make that work. I, for one, am so glad Louie Wright will be gone. It was a sad day for KC and MAST when it was merged with the KCFD. Nothing against the firemen--99 percent of them are absolutely wonderful to work with-- the problem exists with fire management. The whole merger was politically motivated and Tony saw "wright" through it. He will be missed.
The only negative that has been in Mr. Wright's extensive career as union president was allowing the slutty female paramedics easier access to the married men of KCFD by putting them in the stations. . . Other than that, he will be sorely missed.
The sort of people that Wright cares about consider Tony to be irrelevant. This seems like a waste of Wright's time, and very silly, especially if he's retiring soon anyhow. Love him, hate him, or otherwise, Wright has put in a lot of work for workers in KC, so that's worth perhaps more than Tony's blogging is in the long run, though there's nothing wrong with what Tony is doing. Subjecting public figures to scrutiny is good, too.
Wink, prosecutors do NOT handle civil cases such as when someone sues someone else as is happening here. Prosecutors only file criminal charges. Tony isn't being charged with a crime. At least not in this story:)
This case doesn't stand a chance. It is all about jamming up the court system by showing that he can outspend Tony and therefore shut him down. Another example of the wealthy trying to silence anyone who disagrees with them.
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