Federal judge rules for WISH-TV in Derek Daly lawsuit
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A federal judge has ruled in favor of WISH-TV and its former owner Nexstar Broadcasting in a lawsuit over the firing of part-time racing analyst Derek Daly.
Daly filed suit after his 2018 termination, claiming defamation, wrongful termination, breach of contract, and tortious interference with business relations.
WISH-TV fired Daly after he admitted using inappropriate racial language in a live radio interview in 1983.
In a ruling issued Tuesday, Judge Richard Young found WISH-TV’s reporting was covered by its free speech rights.
He also found that WISH-TV published the story “in good faith and with a reasonable basis in law and fact.”
Young specifically cited the number of steps WISH-TV had taken to confirm the story before reporting it.
Young ruled in favor of WISH-TV and Nexstar in all claims in Daly’s lawsuit, and ordered Daly to pay Nexstar’s legal costs.