Beaufort County jury has awarded $50 million to the mayor of Bluffton after finding that she had been defamed for years by an outspoken critic of local government officials.
On Feb. 3, the jury ordered Calvin “Skip” Hoagland to pay $40 million in actual damages and $10 million in punitive damages.
Mayor Lisa Sulka alleged that in 2015 Hoagland began a false campaign against her, hurling malicious public statements intended to harm her reputation and subject her to mental anguish. Hoagland accused Sulka of various wrongdoings in office through published numerous emails to several officials, alleging, among other things, that she used city employees to sell memberships in the Hilton Head Chamber of Commerce, misappropriated and misused funds, engaged in unfair competitive practices, and committed IRS violations.
John Parker and Daniel Henderson of Parker Law Group in Ridgeland represented Sulka. They said that the defamatory acts occurred primary through email but also included newspaper publications and public statements. They called Hoagland’s emails “rambling” and “incoherent,” adding that he continued to “publish them with vigor” despite knowing that they were not accurate.
Parker and Henderson said the verdict wasn’t the reaction of a runaway jury, but a fair return, and that while Sulka hasn’t recovered the award, “hope springs eternal.” They also said it was “an honor and privilege [to represent] a person of Mayor Sulka’s character.”
According to the complaint Hoagland falsely stated many times that Sulka is a corrupt, mentally ill criminal who should be removed from office and publicly shamed.
In one email to South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson and others, Hoagland allegedly wrote, “What are you all going to do about our lying crooked, corrupt real estate agent Mayor Lisa Sulka? … How much of her incompetent corrupt happy horse manure are we all supposed to stand? You understand she illegally used town employees to profit a private corporation correct? Not to mention her real estate dealings.”
Hoagland is the founder and president of Domains New Media, another platform Hoagland was accused of using to launch his attacks, according to that publication’s website. According to the complaint, Hoagland in one email wrote that he would stake his 40-year reputation that Sulka was involved in “massive wrongdoing.”
Hoagland fired the attorney hired by his insurance company and chose not to participate in the trial. He told reporters before the trial began that he wouldn’t show up because he couldn’t be pursued for something that he didn’t do, and that his statements weren’t defamatory, only attempts to hold an official accountable. In Hoagland’s absence, Sulka introduced 12 witnesses and presented 50 exhibits in proving her case.
Hoagland also chose to forgo the reading of the verdict. According to the Associated Press, Hoagland laughed when he was informed of the verdict, saying, “That’s a joke, right? … That’s insanity.”
Hoagland did not immediately respond to an email from Lawyers Weekly seeking comment on the case, but reportedly told The Island Packet in Bluffton that he is happy with the “predetermined” decision because it allows him to seek damages for free speech violations by a “lawless, filthy, frivolous” suit aimed at silencing a government critic.
VERDICT REPORT — DEFAMATION
Amount: $50 million
Injuries alleged: Emotional distress, fear, and injury to reputation and standing in community
Case name: Sulka v. Hoagland and Domains New Media, LLC
Court: Beaufort County Circuit Court
Case No.: 2017-CP-07-01547
Judge: Maite Murphy
Date of verdict: Feb. 3
Insurance carrier: PURE Insurance
Attorneys for plaintiff: John Parker and Daniel Henderson of Parker Law Group in Ridgeland
Attorney for defendant: None
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