Kansas lawmaker ordered to pay The Star thousands in legal fees for dismissed lawsuit
Kansas Senate Republican Leader Jim Denning was ordered Wednesday to pay nearly $39,000 in legal fees to The Kansas City Star after a judge dismissed his defamation lawsuit against the newspaper.
Denning sued The Star and former contributing columnist Steve Rose in January, claiming Rose falsely attributed statements to him in a column regarding his opposition to Medicaid expansion.
The suit was thrown out by a Johnson County judge in July. As a result, Denning became responsible for the legal fees of The Star and Rose.
Last week, Denning paid $24,250 to Steve Rose in legal fees. The amount was set and agreed on by attorneys in September, according to The Star’s attorney, Bernie Rhodes.
Denning’s attorneys were not able to come to a similar agreement with The Star, Rhodes said, leading to the judge’s ruling.
Denning was ordered to pay $38,902.50 to The Star.
In all, the lawsuit could cost Denning more than $63,000. He can choose to appeal the ruling in court.
Denning could not be reached for comment in time for publication Thursday.
Rhodes said the ruling is evidence of the power of the First Amendment.
“The Star will continue to stand by its rights to report on important matters that concern all citizens. We will not be deterred by politicians who cry fake news and file meritless lawsuits,” Rhodes said.
“This award against Senator Denning proves that the First Amendment has teeth.”
Denning’s claims against The Star and Rose were dismissed under the Kansas Public Speech Protection Act, which Denning voted for in 2016. The law seeks to limit lawsuits over speech.
This story was originally published October 31, 2019 at 1:36 PM.
