Former Governor Phil Bryant's defamation lawsuit against Mississippi Today is alive again after the Mississippi Supreme Court resurrected it from the boneyard.
Bryant sued the online newspaper, publisher Mary White, reporter Anna Wolfe, and editor Adam Gaunecheau in 2023 for defamation. Earlier post.Madison County Circuit Judge Bradley Mills dismissed the case a year ago but the former Governor appealed to the Supremes.
The Court ruled today the amended complaint should not have been dismissed in a relatively short opinion:
Motions to dismiss may not be granted “unless it appears beyond any reasonable doubt that the non movant can prove no set of facts in support of the claim which would entitle them to relief.”... Because the Bryants’ complaint alleges “a recognized cause of action upon which, under some set of facts, he might prevail[,]” the trial court erred by dismissing the complaint for failure to state a claim pursuant to Rule 12(b)(6).
It appears the Fat Lady can take a seat. Read the opinion here.
Note: The ruling does not mean the case will go to trial. Motions for summary judgment will undoubtedly be filed. Get a beer, light up a stogie from the Country Squire, and watch all the fun.

56 comments:
Oh man it’s hard to pick a side to cheer for! Hebert is equally as loathsome as MT and the commie agitprop’er, Anna Wolfe!
Ladies and gentlemen, we regret to inform you the the Fat Lady will not be singing in the near future. We apologize for any inconvenience but hope you'll enjoy the popcorn while Govnah Bryant seeks his vengeance on the Mississippi Today.
Sincerely,
The Mississippi Supreme Court.
MT about to spend fortune on attorneys fees.
Judge Brad gets bitchslapped!!
I cannot wait for Pheel to offer some evidence in support of his loss of consortium claim.
I'm pulling for the Guvnah.
I hope he wins.
hahahaha!! GOOD! Yay for Phil
Will the Barksdalers take a beating? Stay tuned!
I am laughing my @$$ off. I hope Wolfe and the Barksdalers get exactly what they deserve. Bunch of liberal $h!+stirrers.
Meanwhile the Barksdalers are complaining that sales tax is applied on the sale of disposable diapers.
This is not justice. It’s political favoritism. Pheel, be happy you escaped jail time and go have a seat
I don’t like him or them. But this is not about either. If you say they defamed you, then prove what parts of their reporting was false and show HOW they are false.
You can’t.
Barksdale endowment has 700x more money than Phil and Deb Bryant. Add Supreme Court to the kangaroo list.
No matter if an apology is given. We cannot unsee what happened while you were Governor. I’ll bet MDHS John Davis wish he never accepted the position as the Agency’s scapegoat.
MT is so cringey with their Pulitzer-bait self-serious bullshit. Pathetic and lame
No Pigott, No Pulitzer.
Why is Bryants' (plural possessive) used in the opinion?
Will Feel take the stand? If so, will his attorney-daughter prepare him?
I read but cannot what MT printed that was wrong. Can someone answer that?
RMQ
If y’all seriously believe that a news outlet today would publish anything without evidence…I want what you are drinking! If anyone believes Bryant is innocent, I want what you’re drinking!
Best of luck Governor.
Since Bryant wasn’t indicted, no one should have been. And for those of you who ask what he did wrong, read his text messages. The ones he didn’t “lose” anyway.
Too bad they both can't lose.
If anyone believes Bryant is innocent ...
What crime is he guilty of? Be specific.
Sometimes it takes that dog a few tries to finally bite that tire it keeps chasing.
Whether that dog is smart or dumb, whether that dog willl or will not hunt; sooner or later that dog will find out what happens when it bites a moving tire.
MT is nothing but a bunch of Yankee troublemakers trying to create another Mississippi Burning.
Ohhhh - I see now. The Governor is the victim here. Not the needy. Got it.
Supremes closing ranks to protect their own, $70m to Pheel's party related buddies. Hoping to resurrect his career; but as noted above, can't unsee the fraud/abuse.
Funny, I didn't find any mention on the MT website. Were I them, I would continue publishing every detail as it progresses; no reason to back off at this point, will likely end up in federal appeals court.
Aside from the Pigott comment, it doesn't seem anyone realizes the whole point of this is suit is to embarrass MT/Wolfe by exposing her sourcing of then-sealed records (as well as how she "obtained" other information).
Amazed that certain fools choose government corruption over "supposedly" liberal news reporting.
Defamation suits have a LOT of billable hours! Cha Ching!!!
Y'all do realize that the MSSC just found that the complaint adequately stated a cause of action, right? It does not mean that Phil automatically gets to go to trial. MT can still file a motion for summary judgment and undoubtedly will do so at some point. Discovery should be very interesting. I honestly hope neither side ends up being able to claim victory in this one.
Decidedly liberal content. Predominantly opinion than actual news reporting.
KF protecting Phil just like he does Shad….allow enough comments to claim he isn’t protecting them but disallow the comments with real substance and facts.
But he's not protecting your whiny ass from exposure as same.
I didn't approve a couple because they could be considered slander. Is this guy complaining going to pay my legal bills if I got sued by Bryant?
On the transparency front, Barksdalers take note:
Treasury Announces Form 990 Transparency Initiative to Expose Hidden Funding and Strengthen Oversight
You really have to go back to 2005 and start looking into relationship between Shad and Phil during his time as state auditor. Only then will you understand how ultra left wing Harvard placed an educated young man & old man together in order to shape Mississippi politics.
Countersue for astroturf in your comments section cuz it be like reddit in here when you bad mouth the TANF whistle blow victim
Seems like a red herring kind of thing to me. Follow the money.
Judge Roy Moore proved you can win!
$8.2 Million for defamation!
It allegedly had something to do with a mall watchlist, a 14 year old Santa's helper and the YMCA!
What did MT say/print that was false about Bryant?
Will this ever go to trial? Or will the MT make a confidential settlement offer that PB (and his lawyers) can't refuse? My guess is that it won't go to trial because there are those who will put up a LOT of money to see that a challenge to NYT v. SULLIVAN never gets to the Supreme Court.
Don't see that happening. He will want a public apology before a settlement, probably.
'In the Heat of the Night' (the show where Archie Bunker was the Sheriff) featured ONE "Southern" accent, for everybody, regardless of race or social class. That accent was 'Tidewater Virginia', or maybe 'FFV: First Families of Virginia'. FFV (and their few remaining Mississippi descendants) are the sort who say 'Guvnah'.
But considering the governor in question, I'd personally spell it, 'Gyuuvnerrrrr', with the hardest and most nasal of 'Hard R' sounds.
The MS Supreme Court is full of absolutely corrupt idiots. Bryant was a public servant...whereas, pretty much anything can be said about them. In today's clown world - the process is the punishment. Nothing more.
Hope Bryant ends up having to pay MT's legal bills.
Only someone as vain as Feel would believe he can prove actual malice in this case.
That Bryant may have to pay.
Exactly. He's responsible for the budget once it's given to him by the Legislature and Feds. He's slicker than a boiled onion.
Isn't he still serving the public as a lobbyist?
If MT was legit they’d write about the corrupt Hinds county DA and the corrupt Ms Delta so called lawmen who have been so for decades. The DA came from SPLC and MT is mum! Pulitzer my ass! And Shads arrogant hubris screwed up any chance of getting to the truth. But hey he can take down them county clerks for dipping into the coffee fund! Stand by the truth about the auditor and his team is coming soon.
What crime is he guilty of? Is aiding, abetting and directing the illegal distribution of federal funds considered a criminal activity? Not accusing him of that, just hypothetically, mind you.
For most people, it’s probably also illegal to direct grant funding to a medical type company of which you’ve been promised an interest, and agreed to a meeting to accept that interest.
Yes, "aiding, abetting, and directing the illegal distribution of federal funds is considered a criminal activity".
One text: An Incident
Two texts: A Coincidence
Three texts: A Pattern
Four texts: Enough to get a warrant
But Lynn Fitch and Shad White never thought so.
This Woulda Made A Great Episode For Celebrity Deathmatch...
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