Dixie Chicks' lead singer Natalie Maines is being sued for defamation over statements she allegedly made about Terry Hobbs, the stepfather of one of three eight-year-old boys murdered in West Memphis, Ark., in 1993 -- an incident made famous by the 1996 acclaimed documentary 'Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills.'Hobbs filed the complaint on November 25 in Pulaski County Circuit Court alleging that Maines made a "false and reckless claim that [Hobbs] committed the murders of the three boys ..."
Steve Branch (Hobbs' stepson), Christopher Byers and Michael Moore were found dead May 5, 1993 in West Memphis, Ark. Damien Echols, Jessie Misskelley and Jason Baldwin, all of West Memphis, were convicted of the murders in 1994.
Maines -- identified by her married name, Pasdar, in the lawsuit -- made the comments at issue during a rally last December on the steps of the Arkansas State Capitol in Little Rock. (Watch video of those comments here.)
The lawsuit also claims that Pasdar "recklessly published or caused to be published malicious, libelous, slanderous, and false statements" on the band's website in November 2007 and that those statements were republished by several media outlets, including FOX News, The Memphis Commercial Appeal, and PEOPLE magazine.
The lawsuit seeks undisclosed punitive damages and "all other just and proper relief to which he may be entitled."
The case has attracted national attention, with many claiming insufficient evidence was presented to convict Echols, Misskelley and Baldwin, known as the "West Memphis Three."
Reader Comments(1 of 50)
BERat 12-04-2008
Natalie said what thousands have said. He is suing her for the cash...not for defamation. Give me a break!
dfosterat 12-04-2008
Consider, though, that if he had accused HER of murder, her lawyers would be suing for everything he's got. She needs to be held responsible for her comments, too!
danebob55at 12-04-2008
Hobbs not only killed those kids, but had something to do with the death of his wife as well. He's a horrible human being who escaped justice and now there are a bunch of kids who were falsely accused of the crime being protected by a bunch of ol'boy hicks like Hobbs.
Sibyl Annat 12-04-2008
Looks like this girl would learn to keep her mouth SHUT!
Shannonat 12-04-2008
danebob55 said "Hobbs not only killed those kids, but had something to do with the death of his wife as well. He's a horrible human being who escaped justice and now there are a bunch of kids who were falsely accused of the crime being protected by a bunch of ol'boy hicks like Hobbs"
It's people like you, who make ignorant statements b/c you obviously have no idea what you're talking about, who make this lawsuit legitimate. Hobbs was not the one who's wife died under mysterious circumstances... that was John Mark BYERS! The only "evidence" against Hobbs can be explained away because it's not as if the boys never had any contact with him. It would be significant if he'd never met or knew them!
On another note, Natalie Maines has got to learn to keep her dumb@ss opinions to herself already. Screw shut up and sing... just SHUT UP!
ozzyzmomat 12-04-2008
RIGHT ON.... TELL IT LIKE IT IS..AND AIN'T IT THOUGH ALL ABOUT THE BIG BUCKS. IF HE'S NOT GUILTY, THEN HE WOULDN'T HAVE ANYTHING TO DEFEND.
kateybug95at 12-04-2008
Hey meanmeanlisa - You may not like Natalie, but the last thing she should do is keep her mouth shut. She and other celebrities are speaking out for these boys, (now men), who are clearly innocent, yet they have spent the last 14 years of their lives in jail. Thanks to Natalie and others, they are getting the attention their case needs, and hopefully the real perpetrator(s) will be brought to justice. Recent DNA evidence points to Terry Hobbs...it's a fact. There's no defamation there.
cellis909at 12-04-2008
ANOTHER "LOOK AT ME...LOOK AT ME" KNOW-IT-ALL CELEB.
SICK OF HER ALREADY
queenflirter33at 12-04-2008
i just think shes a plain dum A$$ and needs to learn to think before she speaks.
Such as this comment she made to a british website.
"Maines opened up to Adam Sweeting of the Telegraph.co.uk about her shameless peers, “A lot of pandering started going on, and you’d see soldiers and the American flag in every video. It became a sickening display of ultra-patriotism.”
How is there such a thing as too much patriotism...sorry we love our country natalie...we'll keep ourselves in check next time.
Just Shut Up Already Natalie!
lannahoeat 12-05-2008
Once again the Dixie Chicks just need to shut their no talent mouths. They are such an embarrassment
irishangelx3at 12-05-2008
yes please! give us all a break! i mean, what ever happend to freedom of speach?! this country is out of control. people shouldn't be able to sue other's because coffee they spilt on themsleves was hot, let alone from what an other person says!
arisechicken420at 12-05-2008
There's really nothing wrong with voicing your opinion. Add to that the statistics- most often when children go missing, the parents have something to do with it. This guy should stay out of the news if he doesn't want to be talked about. And why is it that Fox News would blast Natalie Maines' opinion all over the place? Don't they hate her? Not that I trust anything Fox says anyway. They are a bunch of RepubliCON lie-hate-and-war-mongerers.
Michelleat 12-05-2008
I totally disagree with this lawsuit--period! What happened to freedom of speech? We should have the right to say whatever we want without risk of prosecution. I agree that we fall short when we hear idle gossip and tend to believe it rather than find out the truth, but our constitutional rights are being violated for slanderous suits that have no business in the courts. The only difference is that certain people make headlines and others don't.
Klomkrinkat 12-05-2008
Once again the "Fat Chick" with the "Big Mouth" sticks her foot in it!
Jeffat 12-05-2008
Natalie suffers from sycophantis assinitus!