'Boston' Rocker Sues Boston Herald for Libel

Tom Scholz via last.fm

Tom Scholz, the keyboardist/guitarist/songwriter who co-founded the rock band Boston, has filed a defamation suit in Suffolk County (Mass.) Superior Court against the daily tabloid The Boston Herald and its "Inside Track" gossip columnists Gayle Fee and Laura Raposa, accdording to the Courtroom News Service(CNS).

The 23-page complaint, Donald Thomas Scholz v. Boston Herald, Inc., Gayle Fee & Laura Raposa (Case No. 10-1010) alleges defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress arising from articles that appeared in the daily in 2007 on March 15, March 16, and July 2. According to the complaint, the defendants allegedly wrote articles, including one under the headline "Pal's Snub Made Delp Do It," that blamed Scholz for the suicide of band vocalist Brad Delp in March 2007, and allegedly fabricated quotes by his widow Micki Delp in the "Inside Track" column. The complaint alleges Micki Delp demanded "Inside Track" retract the quotes attributed to her, but Fee purportedly refused to do so.

Scholz alleges the Herald articles "impute dishonesty, immorality, vice and dishonorable conduct to Mr. Scholz and injure Mr. Scholz in his trade or business." A 2008 defamation suit brought by Scholz against Micki Delp and her sister Connie Goudreau is still pending, CNS reports.

Representing Scholz is Boston attorney Howard Cooper, who bested the Boston Herald in 2005, scoring a more than $2 million libel verdict for Judge Ernest Murphy after the tabloid wrote an article alleging Judge Murphy harshly treated a teen rape victim in his courtroom. Cooper's success representing jurists in defamation suits has stretched to the Virgin Islands (see "TUOL" post 3/18/10).

Boston has sold more than 31 million albums worldwide and particularly shone during the 1970s and 1980s. Fans of the group's tunes may believe Scholz is just seeking "Peace of Mind," but based on the complaint and the attorney litigating it on his behalf, it's clear Scholz is looking for "More than a Feeling" from the Herald.