The Courier-Journal has the details about a PR firm sueing ESPN 93.9 hosts John Ramsey and Mike Rutherford. The firm is called RunSwitch and its run by Scott Jennings who says the hosts falsely identified him as the source of leaked information that the University of Louisville was about to ban itself from postseason play because of a sex scandal involving its basketball team.
The suit claims the hosts defamed Jennings and RunSwitch by falsely reporting that Jennings leaked news of an announcement to Matt Jones, manager of Kentucky Sports Radio, which allowed KSR to report the news in advance. According to a transcript filed with the suit, Ramsey and Rutherford said it was “unprofessional” and “unethical” for Jennings to leak the information because his company has a contract to provided public relations advice to the U of L Foundation. The suit says the allegation was false and that RunSwitch, which provided U of L with public relations advice on the announcement, had nothing to do with the leak. Jennings also says that Ramsey and Rutherford continued to spread the information on websites even after RunSwitch told them it was false.
ESPN Louisville VP Drew Deener told the paper he didn’t have many details about the case. “It’s hard for the company to say much since we haven’t seen or been served with any paperwork. So at this point the CJ has been told more than we have about a lawsuit. I only know John feels like he had a rock solid source on this story and believes what he said that day because of that source. Beyond that, we would have to see what is in the lawsuit before any potential response.”
