The Sikh Religious Society of South Carolina is suing Palmetto Public Record blogger Logan Smith for March 2012 post claiming South Carolina governor Nikki Haley was to be indicted “on charges of tax fraud,” the Columbia Free-Times reported. The society is “led by” Haley’s father, and is suing Smith and “John Doe 1 and John Doe 2” — Smith’s anonymous sources that he identified as “two well-placed legal experts” — for “false statements” since Haley wasn’t indicted.
Columbia, S.C.’s WACH-TV reported that “The defendants are being accused of defamation and civil conspiracy for several actions including publishing false statements to third parties and objecting to bring public ridicule on the Sikh Religious Society of South Carolina.”
Free-Times reported that the story in question said that Haley’s father’s temple had “shady finances” with “missing” money.
The lawsuit is posted here on the Free-Times website.
We have written to the Palmetto Public Record for comment and will update with any response.