Editing Killing of JonBenét Ramsey (section)

==Defamation lawsuits==
[[L. Lin Wood]], the Ramsey family libel attorney, filed [[defamation]] lawsuits against several people and companies that had reported on the case, starting in 1999. The family sued [[Star (magazine)|''Star'' magazine]] and its parent company, [[American Media (publisher)|American Media, Inc.]], on their son's behalf in 1999.<ref>{{cite news |author=Hill |first=Shelley |date=December 1, 1999 |title=Ramseys sue Star on behalf of son: Libel suit seeks $25 million in damages against tabloid |url=http://web.dailycamera.com/extra/ramsey/1999/01crams.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210208185253/http://web.dailycamera.com/extra/ramsey/1999/01crams.html |archive-date=February 8, 2021 |access-date=October 11, 2016 |newspaper=Daily Camera}}</ref> Defamation suits have been filed by the Ramseys and their friends against several unnamed media outlets.<ref>{{cite news |date=February 25, 2015 |title=JonBenet Ramsey murder case: Former police chief opens up on Reddit, and now apparently regrets remarks |work=Fox6 Now |url=http://fox6now.com/2015/02/25/jonbenet-ramsey-murder-case-former-police-chief-opens-up-on-reddit-and-now-apparently-regrets-remarks/ |access-date=October 11, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200530063724/https://fox6now.com/2015/02/25/jonbenet-ramsey-murder-case-former-police-chief-opens-up-on-reddit-and-now-apparently-regrets-remarks/ |archive-date=May 30, 2020}}</ref> A defamation suit was filed in 2001 against the authors and publisher of ''JonBenét: Inside the Ramsey Murder Investigation'' (2000). The suit against Don Davis, Steven Thomas, and [[St. Martin's Press]] was settled out of court the following year.<ref>{{cite news |date=March 20, 2002 |title=Ramseys Settle Book Libel Suit: Former Boulder Detective Settles Case Out Of Court |work=7News |publisher=TheDenverChannel.com |url=http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/ramseys-settle-book-libel-suit |access-date=October 11, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171011022521/http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/ramseys-settle-book-libel-suit |archive-date=October 11, 2017}}</ref>

John and Patsy Ramsey were sued in two defamation lawsuits arising from the publication of their book, ''The Death of Innocence'' (2001). These suits were brought by two persons named in the book who were said to have been investigated by Boulder police as suspects in the case. The Ramseys were defended in those lawsuits by Lin Wood and three other Atlanta attorneys, James C. Rawls, Eric P. Schroeder, and S. Derek Bauer. They obtained the dismissal of both lawsuits. U.S. District Court Judge [[Julie Carnes]] later concluded that "abundant evidence" in the murder case pointed to an intruder having committed the crime.<ref>{{cite web |first=R. Robin |last=McDonald |url=http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/PubArticleNLJ.jsp?id=1202429072171&slreturn=1&hbxlogin=1 |title=Northern District of Georgia's New Chief Judge Reflects on Her Career |website=Law.com |date=March 16, 2009| access-date= June 22, 2011}}</ref>

In November 2006, Rod Westmoreland, a friend of John Ramsey, filed a defamation suit against an anonymous web surfer using the pseudonym "undertheradar" who had posted two messages on Internet forums implicating Westmoreland in the murder.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/1109061jonbenet1.html |title=Man Sues Over JonBenét Murder Claim |website=Thesmokinggun.com |date=November 9, 2006 |access-date=June 22, 2011 |archive-date=April 3, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100403100343/http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/1109061jonbenet1.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

During a September 2016 interview with [[WWJ-TV|CBS Detroit]] and in ''[[The Case of: JonBenét Ramsey]]'' documentary television program, forensic pathologist [[Werner Spitz]] accused Burke Ramsey of killing his sister.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://time.com/4522966/jonbenet-ramsey-brother-sues/ |title=JonBenet Ramsey's Brother Files $150 Million Defamation Suit |last=Chan |first=Melissa |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|access-date=October 8, 2016|archive-date=November 8, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108141752/https://time.com/4522966/jonbenet-ramsey-brother-sues/|url-status=live}}</ref> On October 6, 2016, Burke filed a defamation lawsuit against Spitz. Burke and his attorneys, who include Lin Wood, sought a total of $150 million in punitive and compensatory damages. Wood said he would also file a suit against CBS at the end of October 2016.<ref>{{cite news |author=Garcia |first=Marcia |date=October 7, 2016 |title=Burke Ramsey Sues Investigator Who Accused Him Of Killing Sister |work=CBS4 New Denver |url=http://denver.cbslocal.com/2016/10/07/burke-ramsey-sues-investigator-who-accused-him-of-killing-sister/ |url-status=live |access-date=October 11, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210228024534/https://denver.cbslocal.com/2016/10/07/burke-ramsey-sues-investigator-who-accused-him-of-killing-sister/ |archive-date=February 28, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=October 7, 2016 |title=JonBenét Ramsey's brother files defamation suit against pathologist |work=12 News |agency=Associated Press |location=Arizona |url=https://www.12news.com/article/news/nation-now/jonbenet-ramseys-brother-files-defamation-suit-against-pathologist/75-329918958 |url-status=live |access-date=September 15, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190406195318/https://www.12news.com/article/news/nation-now/jonbenet-ramseys-brother-files-defamation-suit-against-pathologist/75-329918958 |archive-date=April 6, 2019}}</ref>

On December 28, 2016, Burke Ramsey's lawyers filed an additional civil lawsuit that accused [[CBS]], the production company Critical Content LLC, and seven experts and consultants of [[United States defamation law|defamation of character]]. They sought $250 million in compensatory damages and $500 million in punitive damages.<ref>{{cite news |author=Harris |first=Chris |date=December 29, 2016 |title=JonBenet Ramsey's Brother Burke Sues CBS for $750 Million |website=[[People (magazine)|People]] |url=http://people.com/crime/burke-ramsey-jonbenet-cbs-series-lawsuit/ |url-status=live |access-date=March 3, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210301092231/https://people.com/crime/burke-ramsey-jonbenet-cbs-series-lawsuit/ |archive-date=March 1, 2021}}</ref>

In January 2018, a judge denied the CBS motion to dismiss, and the suit was allowed to proceed.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://money.cnn.com/2018/01/06/media/jonbenet-ramsey-brother-cbs-documentary/index.html |title=Judge allows lawsuit against CBS by brother of JonBenét Ramsey to proceed |first1=Jackie |last1=Wattles |date=January 6, 2018|access-date=December 26, 2018|archive-date=January 20, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210120171039/https://money.cnn.com/2018/01/06/media/jonbenet-ramsey-brother-cbs-documentary/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In January 2019, Wood announced that the lawsuit had been settled "to the satisfaction of all parties."<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-jonbenet-lawsuit-settlement-idUSKCN1OY1XP |title=JonBenet Ramsey's brother settles lawsuit with CBS: attorney |date=January 4, 2019 |work=Reuters|access-date=January 4, 2019 |language=en|archive-date=March 9, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210309025635/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-jonbenet-lawsuit-settlement-idUSKCN1OY1XP|url-status=live}}</ref>