Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Record libel Award jolts station WFAA
By Barry Shlachter
Former McLennan County District Attorney Vic, Feazell, acquitted in 1987 on racketeering charges, yesterday was awarded the largest libel judgment in U.S. history, $58 million, arising from a series of investigative reports by WFAA/Channel 8 in 1985.
“I want to thank God,” said Feazell, 39, “God led us, God preserved us, God gave us victory.” He said the WFAA series – 10 reports and commentary – ruined his reputation and led to an FBI investigation.
The award outdistances a $34 million verdict that Philadelphia lawyer Richard Sprague was awarded last May over a 1973 Philadelphia Inquirer article that criticized his handling of a murder case when he was an assistant district attorney. The paper is appealing.
A.H. Belo Corp., which owns the Dallas station, vowed to fight the “runaway” jury verdict but said the company’s financial health….
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