Monday, Feb. 14, 2011 | 5:47 p.m.
CARSON CITY – The Nevada Supreme Court has rejected a libel suit filed against the Las Vegas Review-Journal and one of its reporters by an unsuccessful candidate for family court judge in the 2006 election.
The court said statements published in a story written by reporter Ed Vogel about Robert W. Lueck were “protected by the fair reporting privilege, which provides absolute immunity to a party who makes a fair, accurate and impartial report of events occurring in judicial proceedings.”
Lueck filed a petition in 2006 asking the Nevada Supreme Court to lift a gag order that prevented him from commenting on an ongoing child support dispute between Lueck and his ex-wife. The Supreme Court refused to nullify the gag order. Vogel then wrote about Lueck’s petitions.
The Review-Journal published a front-page story written by Vogel that accused Lueck of failing to pay child support, according to the libel suit. The story appeared shortly before the election and Lueck was defeated.
The newspaper in its brief to the Supreme Court said the suit “represents the latest installment of a never-ending, though misguided, pursuit” by Lueck “to exact retribution against those he feels are responsible for causing him to lose the 2006 election …”
The Supreme Court said the stories by Vogel were fair representations of the 2006 petitions filed in the Supreme Court.
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