Jury awards $1.5 million in newspaper libel suit

An Indiana newspaper will have to fork over $1.5 million in damages after losing a libel suit brought by a local sheriff’s deputy.

A jury found last week that The [Terre Haute] Tribune-Star had defamed Jeff Maynard, who is now a detective, in a pair of 2004 news articles, the Associated Press reported. The offending stories detailed allegations of misconduct against Maynard by a Clay City woman; he was ultimately cleared of wrongdoing, and the paper ran a story saying so, according to The AP.

Tribune-Star publisher Jeremiah Turner told The AP he stands by the reporting and might appeal the judgment.