Crossing Michael Jordan, Slander Lawsuit

He is a Chicago legend, maybe the greatest player ever to grace a basketball court. But when Michael Jordan made a pass at aspiring singer Karla Knafel, the ball bounced out of bounds and into a different kind of court. Jordan didn't want his wife finding out about his off-court activities. He even paid her a quarter million dollars to keep quiet. But Knafel wanted even more, $5 million. When Jordan refused, both wound up in a one-on-one in court. This caught the eye of columnist Richard Roeper. He blasted the former hairdresser as a gold digger trying to cash in. According to Roeper, Knafel made herself sound like someone who once worked in a profession that's a lot older than singing her hair designing. Knafel now had another lawsuit to file against Richard Roeper and the 'Chicago Sun-Times,' a lawsuit for defamation of character. But did Richard Roeper's reference to prostitution really amount to slander? Not according to the US Court of Appeals. They didn't think Roeper accused Karla of a crime. That would be slander. Roeper may have been harsh, but he was simply expressing his opinion, an opinion that three Chicago area judges seem to share. The moral of the story, if you're going to take on Michael Jordan, you might just want to litigate somewhere other than Chicago. For the Legal Television Network, I am Irwin Kramer.


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