Christian Rock Musician Seeks Appeal in Rachel Maddow Defamation Case
Bradlee Dean Claims MSNBC Host Said He Encouraged Execution of Homosexuals
Christian rock musician Bradlee Dean is currently seeking an appeal in the defamation lawsuit he filed against MSNBC talk show host Rachel Maddow, after a superior court judge dismissed the case on Nov. 15.
Dean says he is filing the appeal on the grounds that Judge Joan Zeldon,practiced prejudice by mocking Dean's lawyer, Larry Klayman, and overtly praising Maddow's lawyers.
Additionally, Dean argues that after losing his defamation lawsuit, Zeldon ordered him to pay $24,000 in fees to the law firm representing Maddow without an explanation on what the fees were for, which he claims further proves the judge's preferential treatment of the defendant.
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Dean, who educates youth about Christianity around the country through his Minnesota-based "You Can Run But You Cannot Hide International" ministry, told WND, an independent news network, that he believes Maddow's lawyers lobbied Judge Zeldon.
"When you have MSNBC's attorneys lobbying these judges, it is self-explanatory. I will leave it to the people to see the transparency of corruption on the behalf of the supposed judicial system. If the judicial system was doing its job there would be no MSNBCs or Rachel Maddows on television," Dean told WND on Nov. 14.
Previous to Zeldon's decision to throw out the case, Dean and his lawyer, Klayman, had requested that the judge recuse herself on the grounds of prejudice.
"We're confident that the judge should have recused herself from the case, due to her bias and prejudice," Klayman said in a press release.
"The attorneys' fees were unwarranted, and in any case inflated, and we are confident of our success on this appeal," Klayman added.
The original defamation lawsuit began in July 2011, when Dean filed a $50 million lawsuit against Maddow, arguing that she mischaracterized his views on homosexuality and the Muslim religion in a May 2011 episode of her MSNBC cable news talk show, "The Rachel Maddow Show".
Dean, who is the leader of the heavy metal band Junkyard Prophet, argues that Maddow selectively chose quotes from his radio program, "The Sons of Liberty Radio", and accused Dean of encouraging the execution of homosexuals.
The musician argued that he clearly stated that he opposed any violence against homosexuals at the beginning of the program, and that Maddow had selectively chosen to omit one line from his quote.
The defendant then took to his personal blog to defend himself, and reportedly filed the lawsuit because he received multiple death threats against him and his family after Maddow's May 2011 segment aired.
Maddow's attorneys called for the case to be thrown out of court, arguing that Dean's claims were groundless.
In the court filings, Maddow's team argued that the MSNBC journalist did not omit any portion of Dean's quotes from her broadcast, saying that "the broadcasts truthfully reported on Dean's May 15th statements [...] Dean bears sole responsibility for the consequences of his words, however much he may try to distance himself from the backlash."
Additionally, the defendant's lawyers argued that "the commentary or rebuke Maddow offered about Dean's statements was classic opinion [...] as Dean is entitled to his opinions, however objectionable, so too is Maddow entitled to hers."
Although the case is technically dismissed, Klayman told WND that the lawsuit is far from over.
"Rachel Maddow should not take any satisfaction. This is just round one. The case has not been adjudicated on its merits," Klayman vowed.
Dean is considered controversial in some circles. In May 2011, Minnesota speaker of the House Rep. Kurt Zellers issued an apology to his fellow lawmakers after Dean, the guest chaplain delivering the prayer on the House floor, questioned President Barack Obama's Christianity.
