Attorneys for freelance journalist Michelle Deininger asked a judge Sept. 26 to dismiss a lawsuit from former Park City School District COO Mike Tanner.
“Deininger’s reporting has not required retraction or even moderate correction, including the reporting at issue here,” court papers state.
The reporter is asking 3rd District Judge Richard Mrazik for “expedited relief” under Utah’s version of a law designed to prevent frivolous lawsuits against protected speech.
Tanner sued Deininger in July over a November 2024 article she authored in The Park Record. The newspaper is not named as a defendant.
The story raised concerns about Tanner’s compensation package and remote work agreement. Tanner claims it led to the loss of his job, made it difficult for him to find a new one and misstated various facts.
In court papers, Deininger’s attorneys point out Tanner’s complaint never quotes the article in question and only summarizes its alleged falsehoods.
They also argue that Tanner is a public figure for the purposes of the article that she wrote. That would make it more difficult for Tanner to prove he was defamed than it would be for private individuals making similar claims.
No hearing dates have been set in the case.
Deininger was a KPCW employee between June 2021 and May 2023. She has retained the law firm Parr Brown Gee & Loveless, which is also representing KPCW in a separate defamation suit brought by a former tennis instructor against Wasatch Back media outlets.
