The starting center for the Rutgers female basketball team is suing Don Imus, NBC and ABC for tarnishing her good name by calling her a “nappy headed ho.”
Kia Vaughn, star center for the Rutgers Women’s Basketball team, has filed a lawsuit against Imus for libel, slander and defamation — the first civil suit to be filed against the former radio host. Vaughn is asking for monetary damages of an unspecified amount.
Libel, slander and defamation. Libel is “a false and malicious publication printed for the purpose of defaming a living person.” I don’t know that Imus wrote anything about this woman or the Rutgers team that was “printed for the purpose of defaming a living person.” Slander is “making a false statement of fact that injures someone’s reputation.” Generally, it involves statements that are intentionally damaging, as is the definition of defamation. Pretty much covers everything. Too bad this will never go to court, but then it was never meant to. This is a simple shakedown for a settlement.Â
Try and prove that Imus’s statements were made to intentionally damage the team’s reputation. First, you have to prove that the team isn’t a bunch of “nappy headed hos.” Then you have to prove that Imus had reason to make statements at damage the reputations of these women.Â
And who is Kia Vaughn?  Does she actually think that people are walking around saying, Â
“Kia Vaughn? Oh, I used to think so much of her, but I heard that she is just a nappy headed ho.”
“Really? I didn’t know that.”
“That’s right. Don Imus said it on the radio so it must be true.”
Please. I think less of you now that you show this victim mentality than I did before Imus called you and your teammates out on the radio.   Â
