LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A Louisville Metro councilmember lost a defamation case on Monday.
A jury decided Councilwoman Donna Purvis, D-5, lied about the actions of a former staffer.
Denise Bentley, Purvis' former aide, filed a lawsuit in May 2022 against the councilwoman, Louisville Metro Government and then-Mayor Greg Fischer after she was fired, claiming defamation and retaliation.
Monday, a jury came back with a verdict awarding Bentley $1 in damages. She said it was never about the money.
“It is great big win for me. It's a win for my family, it's a win for my family. I have been in this community for 60 something years, it was a difficult process” she said.
The long and, at times, difficult process started for Bentley a little over two years ago.
According to court documents, Bentley claimed she was fired in January 2022, three days after she declined to work on Purvis' re-election campaign. She claims that was when a smear campaign against her started.
“She said I stole from Metro Government, she said that I stole time, that I falsified time sheets and that I misappropriated money," Bentley said. "She attempted to say I had done something criminally.”
The former aide said there was never an investigation, and she was cleared of any wrongdoing.
Purvis and Bentley had been friends for decades. Bentley served on Metro Council and essentially represented the same west end district. Their time working together soured into a nasty lawsuit. Though the jury sided with Bentley, Purvis' lawyer is claiming victory.
“Ms. Bentley did not suffer any harm from any alleged defamatory statements,” said attorney Katie Watts.
The jury awarded Bentley $1. Purvis' lawyer said the statements were in made private conversations and never in public. But Bentley said that is not the case.
"I feel better about walking through the door of City Hall now that I'm not on a poster as a person of interest, now that my name has been cleared," she said.
The city paid an outside law firm to defend Purvis. But since the jury ruled against her, the city could ask to be repaid for legal expenses.
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