A WTVF investigative reporter, along with Scripps, the Nashville CBS affiliate’s parent company, is being sued by the Nashville District Attorney for $200 million after a story that aired Wednesday accused him of blackmailing a defendant to get a lawsuit dropped.
Phil Williams‘ story reports David Chase, a local developer who was facing domestic violence charges, says he felt he was being blackmailed by Nashville District Attorney Glenn Funk. Funk says the story is false.
The Tennessean reports prosecutors dropped the case against Chase the same day Chase dropped his lawsuit against the local police department in which the DA could have become a witness. Funk’s lawsuit says he “did not blackmail or attempt to blackmail David Chase.”
But the lawsuit acknowledges that Chase dismissing his federal lawsuit was a condition of the district attorney’s office dropping criminal charges against Chase, though at the time the office cited concerns with Chase’s girlfriend’s credibility.
“Further, at no point has Mr. Funk solicited, been offered, or accepted any bribe, including during his tenure as District Attorney,” the lawsuit reads.
The lawsuit seeks a retraction of the story and $200 million in damages. James Kay, Funk’s attorney in the matter, said in an email that the district attorney would donate any damages awarded in the case to nonprofits that help victims of domestic violence.
Williams last year was the first to report that Funk had enrolled early in a state retirement system that was more beneficial to him. The reporting led to a Tennessee attorney general investigation of Funk, which found that Funk broke the law but said he would not face criminal charges, in part because Funk agreed to pay back the benefits.