• by Ray Schultz , Yesterday

The  Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals has reduced a defamation award against Gannett’s The Oklahoman, stating that the $20 million sum was "unconscionable, grossly excessive and much larger than reason dictates to be necessary to deter such conduct in the future."

The ruling by Appeals Court Judge Thomas E. Prince could reduce the punitive damages to $2.5 million. In addition, Gannett would be liable for $5 million in compensatory damages, The Oklahoman reports. But overall, it would be paying out $7.5 million, compared to the $25 million it would have been hit with between the punitive and compensatory damages.   

The article in question identified a coach who allegedly made a racist rant at a high school basketball game in 2021. The coach, Scott Sapulpa, sued and won the case. 

However, Prince ruled that there was no evidence that Gannett acted "intentionally and with malice."

The Oklahoman incorrectly named Sapulpa as the party who made the comments. But it corrected the story within 2-1/2 hours, and kept Sapulpa’s name out of the print story on the episode.