Newspaper Spat in West Virginia

HUNTINGTON, W. Va. (CN) – A newspaper publisher claims a competing newspaper defamed him in a series of articles that falsely accused him of “certain criminal election and campaign financing violations” in the 2008 Lincoln County primary election. Daniel Butcher, owner of the Lincoln Standard, sued The Lincoln Journal and its publisher in Federal Court. Both newspapers circulate in Lincoln County.     Butcher also listed Custom Surroundings as a plaintiff, a landscaping company in which he holds interest. Among his claims are that the defendants placed him and his company in a false light and gave public exposure to private facts, in writing about “Mr. Butcher’s ownership interests in certain companies.”     Butcher is represented by Gary Matthers with Jenkins Fenstermaker of Huntington.