Defendants in SC defamation case appeal verdict

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. (AP) — The defendants in a Hilton Head Island defamation lawsuit want a new trial and say the $6 million award in the case is excessive.

The Island Packet of Hilton Head reports (http://bit.ly/NIFKPZ) that Municipal Court Judge Maureen Coffey sued the Sea Pines property owners association and its security chief. Coffey said she and her family were harassed and defamed during an investigation into a series of break-ins in which her adopted brother was a suspect.

The $6 million verdict was ordered earlier this month.

The defendants say the judge was wrong to allow some evidence in the case. They also say the $6 million was four times more than Coffey requested. They say punitive damages should be reduced from $4 million to about $200,000.

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Information from: The Island Packet, http://www.islandpacket.com