Roland Martin
Roland Martin
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Johnson Publishing Reaches $500K Settlement In Ebony Defamation Lawsuit

Posted

March 12, 2020

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Johnson Publishing Company reached a $500,000 settlement in a defamation lawsuit brought by the family of two Georgia high school students who said they were falsely implicated in the death of a black student in a series of articles published by Ebony Magazine.

FBI agent Richard Bell and his wife, Karen, filed a $5 million defamation lawsuit the now bankrupt Johnson Publishing for articles they alleged indirectly linked their sons to the death of Kendrick Johnson, who was found lifeless inside a rolled-up gym mat at his high school.

State medical examiners concluded that the death of 17-year-old Johnson was accidental asphyxiation after he became trapped while trying to retrieve a shoe that fell into the large mat.

Ebony subsequently ran a series of articles suggesting Johnson's death was no accident, and pointing an accusatory finger at the Bell brothers, Branden and Brian who are white.

Branden and Brian would receive a $500,000 payment from Johnson Publishing's insurer, Federal Insurance Co., under the terms of the proposed settlement, which is scheduled for a March 31 hearing in Chicago bankruptcy court. If approved, it will settle all claims by the Bell family against Johnson Publishing.

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Guests & Subjects Covered

Johnson Publishing CompanyEbony Magazine FBIRichard BellJohnson PublishingKendrick JohnsonJohnson Publishing'sFederal Insurance CoRolandMartinUnfiltered The Year

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Johnson Publishing Reaches $500K Settlement In Ebony Defamation Lawsuit · Roland Martin · Sentinel