After more than eight years, a lawsuit filed by Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Craig Brady’s son, Wade Brady, against a local reporter and a local newspaper publisher has gone to trial.
Jury selection began earlier this week in the libel suit against Fort Bend Star crime reporter LeaAnne Klentzman and the Star’s publisher, Carter Publications. Wade Brady is seeking $250,000 for alleged damage to his reputation, stemming from a 2003 article written by Klentzman.
In the article, Klentzman reported that following an incident in which Wade Brady was ticketed for minor in possession and Cullen Brady was arrested by a Department of Public Safety trooper for erratic driving, Craig Brady, their father, conducted “roadside suppression hearings” of deputies in an effort to gather all evidence collected during the incident.
The suit alleges that Klentzman failed to mention that Wade Brady was acquitted by a jury of the minor in possession charge, therefore making him appear guilty of the crime. The Star has argued that the story was about Craig Brady, who, as a public official, would have to meet higher standards to prove libel.
The Star has also said that Craig Brady is “hiding behind his son to sue the Star, a frequent critic.” Wade Brady says in the lawsuit that Klentzman and the Star have been on a “vendetta” against his father and himself.
Klentzman previously worked for the Sheriff’s Department.
The trial is expected to last two weeks.
haha Oh brother.