Lawsuit Against Gadfly Dismissed

A Torrance Superior Court judge dismissed a $250,000 libel lawsuit filed by Janice Cruikshank, former El Segundo school board president and City Council member.

Judge Jean Matusinka ruled last Friday that Cruikshank’s lawsuit against political gadfly William Campbell should be thrown out of court after Campbell’s attorney filed a motion saying that the suit should fall under a 1992 law aimed at eliminating lawsuits that could hinder public dissent.

Cruikshank, who will have to pay Campbell’s attorney fees of at least $20,000, has not decided whether she will appeal, she said Monday.

The lawsuit alleged that Cruikshank’s reputation was maligned when Campbell wrote a letter to the weekly El Segundo Herald misspelling Cruikshank’s name as “Crookshank.” In another letter to the newspaper, Campbell said he did not intentionally misspell Cruikshank’s name.