A federal judge dismissed filmmaker Carlton Sherwood's defamation lawsuit against Sen. John Kerry, saying remarks linked to Kerry's campaign for the 2004 presidential race amount to political opinions.
Sherwood sued Kerry and John Podesta, a campaign aide, accusing them of blocking the release of his documentary about Kerry's anti-Vietnam War activities. He said they labeled him a "disgraced journalist" and a "Bush hack."
The Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc. canceled plans to air the documentary "Stolen Honor: Wounds That Never Heal" on its stations before the November 2004 election.
U.S. District Judge John P. Fullam said he found no evidence that Kerry personally made any of the statements. "I do not believe any of these statements are actionable since they constitute expressions of opinion, and must be viewed in the context of a hard-fought political campaign," Fullam wrote in a ruling issued Thursday.
"More importantly, I am not aware of any basis for holding a political candidate personally responsible for statements made in press releases issued by his party's national committee," the judge wrote.
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