Blogger Sues NW Herald For $3 Million

Charging a defamation lawsuit against him was "a fraud on the court and the public" gadfly McHenry County Blogger Cal Skinner Monday turned the tables on the Northwest Herald's owner, B.F. Shaw Printing, Dixon. A skinner countersuit demands over $3 million from Shaw for defaming him.

At issue is a June 3 Blog entry in which Skinner charged the Northwest Herald had once received a cut-rate "multimillion loan" (sic) to stay in McHenry County putting the paper "in the back pocket of the Republican Party". The blogpost also included a reference to the newspaper's not being in dire financial straits "then".

On June 11, Shaw filed suit against Skinner in McHenry County Court charging the paper had never received any such loan, that it doesn't now have and never has had money troubles and has never been a puppet of the local GOP. The suit claimed Skinner was mad at the paper for coverage of his divorce a decade ago.

The suit asked no specific damages although a Northwest Herald story said the company was seeking $150,000 for defamation, false light and commercial disparagement. (FEN in earlier coverage failed to notice the discrepancy and erroneously reported that figure.)

Skinner's reply Monday included a copy of a 1985 county board resolution authorizing a $2.6 million Economic Development Revenue Bond paying 80 percent of the then-prime rate, the proceeds to be loaned to Shawmor Limited Partnership to build a newspaper plant where the Northwest Herald now stands. The resolution states its purpose as "increasing and retaining employment within (McHenry County's) boundaries."

Also included is a 1985 IRS form signed by then-County Board Chairman Edward J. Buss listing principal users of the bond money as Shawmor, Shaw Free Press Media and B.F. Shaw Printing, all with the same Dixon address.

Skinner's reply claims everything else he wrote was First Amendment-protected opinion.

Skinner's countersuit says Shaw Printing knew his charges were true but sued nevertheless to "intimidate and harass" him. It claims the suit was designed to "blackmail" Skinner into posting a retraction and that the Northwest Herald's news story covering its own suit defamed Skinner when the paper's publisher, John Rung, was quoted saying the original blog post was "reckless and completely fabricated".

Shaw Newspaper CEO Tom Shaw was reported "on another line" when asked for comment. Rung was reported "on a conference call" minutes later but his secretary said all inquiries should be directed to Shaw attorney Donald Craven. Craven's cellphone answered directly to voicemail. No FEN calls were returned.

Skinner attorney Patrick Ouimet was likewise unreachable.

Skinner himself could not be contacted.