Joe Perkins wins defamation lawsuit Donald Watkins

Joe Perkins wins defamation lawsuit Donald Watkins

[ad_1]

A Tuscaloosa political consultant won a $1.5 million judgment in a defamation lawsuit against a Birmingham attorney now serving federal prison time in a separate criminal case. 

Joe Perkins, who owns Montgomery-based Matrix LLC, sued Donald Watkins in 2017, alleging Watkins spread a “series of malicious and harmful lies” about him on social media in the aftermath of the Megan Rondini case. 

More:Political consultant files defamation lawsuit

Rondini, then a 20-year-old University of Alabama student, alleged in 2015 she was raped by T.J. Bunn, a member of a prominent Tuscaloosa family. Bunn denied the rape allegation, and investigators said they didn’t have evidence to prove a crime occurred. Rondini later moved home to Texas, where she died by suicide. 

In a series of social media posts, Watkins was outwardly critical toward Bunn and alleged several institutions were in a conspiracy to cover up Bunn’s alleged crime. The attorney often wrote long, blog-type posts on his public Facebook page, alleging Bunn escaped prosecution because of his wealth and family connections. 

[ad_2]
Source link