Mike Mcqueary: A Witness In The Sandusky Case

Mike McQueary was a witness in the Sandusky Case. McQueary had seen, and left the crime scene and told his father what he had seen. This had also been in the statement released with the court report. Many people were angry at McQueary to the point he was receiving death threats. Many had declared that although he had done the “bare minimum requirements” his critics believed that he should have done more. In the height of this, Mike Golic made statements concerning McQueary. These statements included referring to McQueary as a “coward”.
The question would be if these statements made by Golic would be considered slander or not. No, the statements are not to be considered slander.
Slander or Defamation is defined as a false statement about someone, which causes that someone to suffer harm. There is also …show more content…
These statements were made right after the court reports had been released. All that had been known at this time were what the reports and the news had said regarding McQueary that he had seen the crime take place and then left to tell his father, and then the following day tell his boss.
Another involves the matter of “opinion”. “If the statement is one of opinion, opposed to fact, the statement may not support that this is a case of defamation.
Another defense is “Fair comment on the matter of public interest” “Expressing the opinion that you believe the allegations are true is not likely to support a cause for defamation”
The scandal was well-known throughout the country at this time. It had been followed by news reports, bloggers, and magazines. Golic, as well as several others, believed that McQueary should have done more in the situation and were outraged that he had not.
There is also the matter that public figures are usually exempt, even if the person did not intentionally want the attention. This is especially true with those involved in high profile crimes, which as a witness in the case, McQueary