Jury Awards $500K to Massachusetts Officer in Defamation Suit
A Middlesex Superior Court jury Monday found Curtis W. Schondelmeyer made false and defamatory statements about Frissore when he appeared on a 2014 Fox Undercover Investigates report aired on WFXT-Channel 25 titled “Police Payback?”
A Lexington, MA, police officer has won a defamation judgment worth more than $500,000 against two men a jury found tarnished his reputation by using a television news report to fight a $40 fine one falsely claimed was retaliation for catching the cop on camera using his cellphone while working a detail. The Lexington Police Department says the call was official business.
“This verdict vindicates a good police officer who can now hold his head high. They should be ashamed of themselves,” said Lenny Kesten, patrolman John Frissore’s attorney.
A Middlesex Superior Court jury Monday found Curtis W. Schondelmeyer made false and defamatory statements about Frissore when he appeared on a 2014 Fox Undercover Investigates report aired on WFXT-Channel 25 titled “Police Payback?”
The jury also found Scott Russian knowingly made false and defamatory statements about Frissore as a result of an affidavit Fox 25 broadcast in which Russian asserted he was driving the couple’s Range Rover when Schondelmeyer photographed Frissore, the Boston Herald reports.
The jury awarded Frissore $500,000 — $400,000 for Schondelmeyer and $100,000 for Russian. But with 12 percent annual interest dating back five years to when Frissore filed the lawsuit, Kesten’s co-counsel Michael Stefanilo Jr. said the actual amount due will exceed $700,000.
More Point of Law
Point of Law: The Limits of Electronic Searches
Can an individual be prosecuted for despicable criminal conduct based on evidence obtained in violation of the United States Constitution? Ultimately, the Ninth Circuit judges wrote, “In the circumstances of this case (United States v. Holcomb, 23-469 (9th Cir. 2025)), respect for the Constitution and the rule of law requires an answer of “no.”
Read More →
Trump Issues Order Cutting Federal Funding in Cashless Bail Jurisdictions
<strong>“</strong>Cashless bail policies allow dangerous individuals to immediately return to the streets and further endanger law-abiding, hard-working Americans because they know our laws will not be enforced,” the administration said.
Read More →Justice Department Sues Los Angeles Over Sanctuary Policies
The DOJ said in a press release that the “sanctuary city” policies of the City of Los Angeles are illegal under federal law.
Read More →
Understanding Officer-Created Jeopardy
Officers can be criminally prosecuted for using force when their actions led to escalation during contact with subjects.
Read More →
Point of Law: The Limitations of Search Warrants
In the Tenth Circuit case of Cuervo v. Sorenson, the Court ruled officers cannot deviate from the language of the warrant.
Read More →DOJ Dismisses Consent Decrees Affecting Louisville and Minneapolis Police
The Civil Rights Division will be taking all necessary steps to dismiss the Louisville and Minneapolis lawsuits with prejudice, to close the underlying investigations into the Louisville and Minneapolis police departments.
Read More →New Michigan Bill would Give Officers Civil Immunity in Self-Defense Cases
House Bill 4404 would create a presumption of civil immunity for individuals who are cleared criminally after using force in self-defense, shifting the burden of proof onto plaintiffs.
Read More →Seattle to Pay Police Captain $1 Million to Settle Lawsuit
Seattle police Capt. Eric Greening sued former Chief Adrian Diaz last year alleging that Diaz retaliated when Greening brought up concerns about racial and gender discrimination.
Read More →Washington Agencies Ordered to Not Delete Critical Facebook Contents
Jim Leighty, a local activist, filed two federal lawsuits last year claiming both agencies deleted or hid critical comments he had written below multiple posts, while keeping comments that were pro-police in nature.
Read More →Washington State Attorney General Sues Sheriff for Helping Immigration Enforcement
The lawsuit claims the Adams County Sheriff’s Office has illegally held people in custody based only on their immigration status, helped federal agents question people in custody, and given immigration officials confidential personal information.
Read More →