Lawsuit against Nelsonville Crackheads Facebook page administrator settled—The Athens Messenger

A lawsuit filed by a former City of Nelsonville employee against the Nelsonville Crackheads Facebook page administrator will not head to the courtroom.

On March 15, Korey Whitmore agreed to settle his counterclaim for abuse of process against Andrea Thompson-Hashman, the former Nelsonville City Council clerk and daughter of former Councilmember Greg Smith. Thompson-Hashman filed the lawsuit against Whitmore and Shannon Neff in 2020. …


The settlement ends the lawsuit set for trial in the Athens County Court of Common Pleas later this month. Whitmore was represented by Andy Geronimo, Sara Coulter, and certified legal interns of the First Amendment Clinic at Case Western Reserve University School of Law, and Fairlawn-based civil-rights attorney Peter Pattakos.  …

In the decision granting judgment to Whitmore on all of Thompson-Hashman’s claims, the Athens County Court of Common Pleas found that all of Whitmore’s statements were protected speech. …

“We commend Korey for sticking to his guns and seeing this through to a complete defense victory …,” Geronimo said.

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