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Ex-cheerleader’s libel lawsuit in jury’s hands

The Columbian
Published: January 23, 2013, 4:00pm

COVINGTON, Ky. (AP) — The attorney for a former Cincinnati Bengals cheerleader who had sex with her underage student is telling jurors they have an opportunity to send a message across the U.S. by finding that a gossip website defamed her in lewd online posts.

In his closing statement Thursday in a northern Kentucky courtroom, attorney Eric Deters told jurors that they must find in favor of former cheerleader Sarah Jones and against Scottsdale, Ariz.-based thedirty.com

Deters told jurors to “do something big today” that would send a message across the country that defamation on the Internet is unacceptable.

Jones is asking for $11 million.

Attorneys for the site argue that the posts aren’t defamation because Jones is a public figure and were generally true because she’s “sexually immoral.”

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