$519,000 AWARDED IN SUIT FOR LIBEL

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-01601R000900130001-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 11, 2001
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: October 14, 1971
• Content Type: NSPR

:0,-q POST
Approved For Release 2001/03/04: CIA-RDP80
14 O CT 1971
51,0
Award in
Suit for Libel
A six-member jury in U.S.
District Court here yesterday
awarded the Airlie Foundation
and its executive director, Dr.
Murdock Ilead, $519,800 in
libel damages against The
Evening Star.
The jury, 'which deliberated
early yesterday afternoon,
awarded $100,000 in damages
to Dr. Head and $419,800 to
the foundation, which oper-
ates a large conference center
called Airlie House in Warren-
ton, Va.
The case involved The Star's
,news coverage in September,
196'I, of a news conference in
which it was alleged that the
foundation was secretly sup-
ported by the Central Intelll-
gence Agency or other govern-
ment agencies.
A few days later, The Star,
ran a "Statement on Airlie"
that said, in part, "The editors
of The Star having examined
the records of the Airlie Foun-
dation, are persuaded that this
institution is privately fi-
nanced."
The judgement was one of
the largest libel verdicts ren-
dered by a jury in recent.
years, according to Washing-
ton lawyers. , i
STATOTHR
Approved For Release 2001/03/04: CIA-RDP80-01601 R000900130001-1
 WAS1"I72'iGTOi STAR
Approved For Release 2001/03/044: Jf-.-PP80-01601 R
The Airlie Foundation and its
director, Dr. Murdock Head,
yesterday won $519,800 in libel
damages against The Wash-
ington Star.
The verdict by a six-member
U.S. District Court. jury here
called for an award of com-
pensatory damages of $100,000
for Head and $419,800 for the
foundation which runs a con-
ference center in Warrenton,
Va. No punitive damages were
awarded.
U.S. District Court Judge Oliv-
er Gasch, who presided over the
six-day trial which ended Tues-
day, gave The Star 10 days to
file motions asking him to over-
turn the jury verdict, a standard
procedure in civil cases.
Conference Center
Airlie House, which is operat-
ed by the Airlic Foundation, is a
1,200-acre conference center lo-
cated just cast of Warrenton in
Fauquier County, Va. It has
been the scene of hundreds of
conferences sponsored by public
and private groups.
As developed in testimony at
the trial, the case grew out of a
Sept. 14, 1967, story in The Star
reporting a charge by William
Higgs that Airlie House was se-
cretly supported by the Central
Intelligence Agency, the State
Department and the Pentagon.
It was -testified that Higgs, a
lawyer disbarred in Mississippi
who has been a civil rights ac-
tivist and a supporter of radical
causes, made the charge at a
press conference at which he is-
sued a 1.6-page statement which
he said supported the charge of
covert ties between Airlie House
and the gove"nmental agencies.
Airlie Opened Books
The story on Higgs' press con-
ference, which included a denial
by I-lead, founder and director of
the Airlie Foundation, and by a
government source, appeared in
the last edition of The Star on
that day. A different version,;
stressing the denials, appeared
in all but the last edition the,
nett day.
I I
Following the appearance of
these stories, Airlie representa-
tives opened their financial rec-
ords to The Star to support their
contention that the IIig gs charge
was without foundation. And on
Sept. 18 and 19, The Star
published a story reporting that
a study of Airlic's books indi.cat-
ed that the institution was sup-
ported solely by private sources.
That story was accompa-
nied by a statement that the
editors of The Star were per-
suaded by the records that the
foundation was privately fi-
nanced and that "the foundation
has demonstrated conclusively
to them (the editors) that it is
not, as charged last week, se-
cretly supported by the Central
Intelligence Agency or other
government agencies."
In the trial, The Star contend-'
ed that it was performing its,
role as a newspaper in reporting!
the Higgs charges. Evidence
was presented to show the steps
the story passed through-from
reporter Robert Walters, who
wrote it, through various edi-
tors, including Editor Newbold
Noyes--before the decision final-
ly was made to print it.
The Airlie Foundation con-
tended that The Star and its
editors failed to show proper re-
gard for whether the story was
true or false and, in fact, printed
it even though they had reason
to believe Higgs' charges were
false.
Witnesses for Airlie presented
evidence that as a result of The;
Star's original stories, the insti-`:
tution suffered financial losses'
resulting from the adverse pub-
licity.
STATOTHR
Approved For Release 2001/03/04: CIA-RDP80-01601 R000900130001-1