As reported here in the Richmond paper, a city councilman has won a jury award of compensatory and punitive damages against a private citizen who took out false newspaper ads against the councilman shortly before an election.
The article says in part:
"A Circuit Court jury yesterday ruled in favor of a Colonial Heights City Council member who sued a private citizen for libel in a case that may be a first for Virginia.
After about 4½ hours of deliberation in Chesterfield County Circuit Court, the seven-member jury awarded J. Chris Kollman III, a 26-year council member, $75,000 in compensatory damages and $125,000 in punitive damages. The suit was brought against Claude E. Jordan.
Kollman's lawyer, Thomas E. Albro, . . .said he thinks the libel suit filed by a public official against a private citizen is a first for Virginia."
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