The State : Libel Award: $1.01 Million
A Superior Court jury awarded former San Jose City Councilman Claude Fletcher $1.01 million in libel damages against the San Jose Mercury News for a series of articles concerning Fletcher’s business interests. The jury ordered the newspaper to pay $1 million of the award--and directed that the author of the articles, reporter Scott Herold, pay the remaining $10,000. Mercury News Managing Editor Jerry Ceppos defended the articles, continuing to assert that they were truthful, and said his newspaper will appeal the verdict.
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