Dixie Chicks Defamation Lawsuit Moved To Federal Court

About a month back now, we first caught wind of the defamation lawsuit Terry Hobbs, the stepfather of one of three 8-year-old boys killed 15 years ago in West Memphis, Arkansas, was filing against the Dixie Chicks' Natalie Maines after the group's volatile lead singer posted a note to the...

By Pete Freedman

January 12, 2009

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About a month back now, we first caught wind of the defamation lawsuit Terry Hobbs, the stepfather of one of three 8-year-old boys killed 15 years ago in West Memphis, Arkansas, was filing against the Dixie Chicks' Natalie Maines after the group's volatile lead singer posted a note to the band's Web site citing the introduction of new DNA evidence into the case and seemingly implying that Hobbs might be responsible for deaths.

Well, today comes some more news on the matter: The case is being moved to federal court--partially because the parties in the case live in different states, but more likely, because, as the Baxter Bulletin (Ark.) article notes, "the amount of damages being sought is likely to exceed $75,000."

In other news, defamation is notoriously tough to prove. So, there you go.

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