THE SPRAGUE V. ESKIN CASE
Radio host settles defamation suit
Howard Eskin suspended for comments about defense attorney
Some cases involve not physical injury but injury to a person’s reputation. The case of Sprague v. Eskin – involving the city’s foremost criminal defense attorney and a popular radio personality – involved just such an issue.
Shanin Specter, with partner Tom Kline, represented noted attorney Richard Sprague, who claimed radio sports show host Howard Eskin had defamed him on the air, inferring that Sprague had been involved in wrongdoing in his defense of Philadelphia 76ers basketball star Allen Iverson. The case resulted in a settlement in which Eskin retracted his allegations, made a public apology and was suspended from the radio show for 30 days. His employer, Infinity Broadcasting, also agreed to pay "substantial" compensation to Sprague.
Eskin was examined in a deposition before the case was settled. Particularly noteworthy was Specter’s questioning of Eskin about his disdain for attorneys. (Read the transcript excerpt.)
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