When the going gets too hot for some people like John Stadtmiller, they … threaten us with a lawsuit?

Yes, you read correctly. Yesterday afternoon (November 8, 2005) John Stadtmiller called us at home (for the third time in a week) and first asked if we had a lawyer, then said he intends to sue us.

Stadtmiller didn’t specify upon what grounds he planned to take legal action, so at this point we can only speculate. From our perspective, this threat must have to do with some recent articles which we wrote, and published, on the WING TV homepage (Analysis: RBN Yanks Peter Schaenk, Jeffrey Bennett & John Stadtmiller: Strange Bedfellows, Jeffrey Bennett: You're All "A-holes"). These journalistic commentaries raised valid questions and concerns about the firing of broadcaster Peter Schaenk, along with the recent business partnership between Jeffrey Bennet and John Stadtmiller. Are we to conclude that these reports are somehow not protected under the Constitution's First Amendment (i.e. freedom of speech and freedom of the press)? After examining each of these articles in which John Stadtmiller was mentioned, the most damning information against him originated not from us, but from his newly resurrected business partner, Jeffrey Bennett. Our role in this matter was simply to report on statements made by Jeffrey Bennett; which, we might add, he does not deny making. In fact, Bennett even wrote an article on November 7, 2005 (A ‘Thorn’ in Her Side) in which he reiterated these statements.

          As a number of my readers and listeners are aware, I, along with John Stadtmiller (and a           'silent' partner) were co-founders of the now-defunct Republic Radio International (RRI) in           late 1995. It is fairly common knowledge that the relationship between John and I was a           tumultuous one at best and it ended abruptly in Atlanta, Georgia in 1998 and I was no longer           a partner in the endeavor. By the time our association had ended, I had put nearly $80,000           of my own money into the network. Some months later, John sold the network to Dan and           Loris Tomkins, yet I was not to participate in the sale nor be compensated in any manner           whatsoever. What eventually happened to RRI is not germane to this column. Needless to           say, I spent a good number of years angered by the turn of events and was quite vocal in my           opinion of John." (emphasis added)

In other words, we aren't the ones who said Stadtmiller ripped-off his business partner, Jeffrey Bennett, for $80,000; Jeffrey Bennett is. In addition, we aren't the ones who publicly bad-mouthed John Stadtmiller for the past seven years by saying he was a shyster and not to be trusted; Jeffrey Bennett is. Furthermore, there exists numerous first-hand accounts from people who have corroborated hearing Jeffrey Bennett make these statements.

So, the big question now is: why is John Stadtmiller threatening to sue us – reporters exercising their First Amendment rights – for chronicling something that has been well established in the public domain (and common knowledge in the patriot community) for years? Secondly, wouldn’t one think that if John Stadtmiller was angered by any of the statements made in our articles, wouldn't he direct his lawsuit at the person who actually made the statements (Jeffrey Bennett) and not the journalists who reported on it?