Date: August 7, 2004
Section: Utah
Edition: Final
Page: B3
St. George troubled-teens group loses in court
Verdict: A jury clears a Florida rival of making claims of abuse against kids
Pamela Manson The Salt Lake Tribune
A Florida woman accused of pumping up her own credentials and denigrating her Utah business rival through unfounded Internet accusations was cleared Friday of allegations of false advertising.
A 12-member federal jury in Salt Lake City deliberated about 3 1/2 hours before rejecting claims in a lawsuit that Sue Scheff and Parents Universal Resource Experts Foundation (PURE) had conspired to damage the St. George-based World Wide Association of Specialty Programs (WWASP).
"They're not going to silence me anymore," an emotional Scheff said. She insisted the WWASP suit filed against her was an unconstitutional attempt to stop legitimate criticism.
Her attorney, Richard Hendriksen, agreed.
"The jury recognized that a large company has a right to speak, but so do moms and dads," he said.
An attorney for WWASP, Fred Silvester, had no comment about the verdict.
Both WWASP, which provides support and public relations services to six residential treatment programs for troubled teenagers, and PURE make referrals to families and collect payments from schools when students are enrolled based on their recommendations.
WWASP filed suit seeking unspecified damages from Scheff and PURE, which is based in Weston, Fla., shortly after a series of negative comments about the Utah company were posted on an Internet chat room. The remarks, under a half-dozen different names, claimed children were abused at WWASP facilities, among other allegations.
Scheff later acknowledged being the source of all the postings.
She said the comments were based on true events and that she used pseudonyms to protect the privacy of the individuals whose stories she told. She also contended that a false claim on her own company Web site that she has a college degree was an honest error.
The dispute has been acrimonious. U.S. District Judge Paul Cassell, who presided over the weeklong trial, ejected one spectator who was accused of making faces during witness testimony.
WWASP also had private security guards in the courtroom.
pmanson@sltrib.com (c) 2004 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. Reproduced with the permission of Media NewsGroup, Inc. by NewsBank, Inc.
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The only thing this tells me is that the jury decided it was okay for PURE to repeat heresay as a marketing tool.
Sue Scheff got on internet sites, posted as several different people saying things that "were based on true events" and also pumped up her website saying she had a college degree saying it was "an honest error"
Yep, this is giving her validation to pump up her marketing efforts as evidenced in her Press Release.
So, Ginger, watch for many new postings "based on true events" showing up here.
What I don't get is if a kid claiming abuse, or a parent believing their troubled child says this stuff without proof, is that really based on "true" events?