Radio conglomerate Urban One is asking a court to throw out Brian McKnight’s defamation lawsuit over broadcasts on The Rickey Smiley Morning Show and a North Carolina local station. A lawyer for the network says in a motion to dismiss that the R&B singer has no legally viable claims for defamation. The lawsuit took issue with programs on two Urban One affiliates last year: his ex-wife’s appearance on the North Carolina-based satellite station FOXY 107.1, and Rickey Smiley’s excerpted rebroadcast of an interview given by the musician’s son.
According to Urban One, Brian fares no better in bringing a defamation claim over Rickey Smiley’s December episode featuring clips from an outside interview given by his son, Brian McKnight Jr. The company notes that because Brian is a public figure, he has to meet the higher burden of showing that someone intentionally lied in order to advance the case forward. Urban One is urging a federal judge in Raleigh, N.C., to toss the lawsuit outright before any evidence discovery or trial.
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