By: Lucia Moses Smart family lawyer Randy Dryer said that while no decision has been made, it's unlikely the family will sue Utah's
Salt Lake Tribune over the
National Enquirer scandal.
Two reporters at the Salt Lake City paper were fired after they admitted selling information about the Utah teen Elizabeth Smart kidnapping case to the supermarket tabloid for $20,000. Editor James E. Shelledy resigned last week over his handling of the affair.
"Employers can be liable for the actions of their employees," Dryer told
E&P today. "If it were shown that the Tribune negligently failed to supervise their employees ... then they could be liable."
Nevertheless, Dryer said, the family isn't interested in suing and was pleased by the personal apology from William Dean Singleton, CEO and vice chairman of Tribune parent MediaNews Group Inc.
The former reporters leaked information to the
Enquirer that ended up in a July 2 story that alleged a sexual scandal in the Smart family.
The Smarts reached a confidential settlement with the
Enquirer and agreed not to sue the reporters in exchange for the identity of their law enforcement sources. Dryer said he has turned over that information to local, state, and federal authorities.
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