COVINGTON, Ky. (AP) — The attorney for a former Cincinnati Bengals cheerleader who had sex with her underage student is telling jurors they have an opportunity to send a message across the U.S. by finding that a gossip website defamed her in lewd online posts.
In his closing statement Thursday in a northern Kentucky courtroom, attorney Eric Deters told jurors that they must find in favor of former cheerleader Sarah Jones and against Scottsdale, Ariz.-based thedirty.com
Deters told jurors to “do something big today” that would send a message across the country that defamation on the Internet is unacceptable.
Jones is asking for $11 million.
Attorneys for the site argue that the posts aren’t defamation because Jones is a public figure and were generally true because she’s “sexually immoral.”