No Retaliation in Pulling Hunting Show Support

(CN) – The host of a popular hunting and fishing radio show cannot prove that Kentucky officials retaliated against him for criticizing them on the air, a federal judge ruled.      James Strader says the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources retaliated against him after he took to the airwaves to criticize its use of the Telecheck system, which allows hunters to report their kills by telephone.     In response, the department withdrew its support for Strader’s show, “Outdoors with Jim Strader,” as well as his annual hunting and fishing expo in Louisville.     Most of Strader’s original seven-count complaint fell apart for failure to state a claim.     A First Amendment retaliation claim and a defamation claim were left against department commissioner Jonathan Gassett, but U.S. District Judge Danny Reeves     Reeves found Monday that the claims could not withstand summary judgment.     “Strader has failed to establish a genuine issue of material fact with respect to each essential element of his retaliation and defamation claims,” Reeves wrote.

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