Looks like maybe the Killian Family might be able to claim damage?

http://littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/?entry=12739

You can't file a complaint on behalf of a dead family member.

I think YOU should be able to file a complaint... spending a week and a half neck deep in horse shit should be grounds enough.

What about Col. Walter Staudt. Wasn't he slandered in the memos?

I think Staudt has a legitimate claim, plus he lives in Texas which keeps the feds out of it for the moment.

Bill- he can't file it on behalf on his dead father, but maybe he can file it on behalf of his family name? Did this hurt the reputation of the Killian name? (Is this at all feasible?)

If I were Staudt I would seriously consider a complaint since he was essentially accused of influence peddling.

The slander/liable here is much more on Staudt than Killian.

Maybe any member of the TANG could claim injury.

Staudt isn't going to do it. He didn't want to be drug into the whole mess anyway. Now after CBS sacrifices Mapes to save Rather, then we've got an injured party who just might be pissed off enough.

Injured party?

Quick... get Carville to Texas.

He wants to submarine Kerry anyhow.

Any Abilene/Taylor County resident who viewed the CBS broadcast.

Anyone see that story about fundrainsing idictments against Tom Delay aides. The grand jury was in, where else, Travis County Texas.

I agree, Staudt is certainly an aggrieved party. But he's unlikely to bother. Look how long he waited to even give an opnion on the whole thing. From what I gather the guy just wants to enjoy his retirement and not get caught up in this. Can you blame him? Would you want to spend your last years reading hate mail from the DU nuts?

We can only hope he's eventually motivated by a sense of patriotism or outrage at the injustice. But I wouldn't bet he'll come forward.

Oh, and great research again Bill.

Everyone...great insights. Finding a willing plaintiff is one issue but I see damages as a larger issue. In one scenario, CBS could simply admit liability but argue that there was little or no monetary loss. Curiously, CBS could argue that the bloggers were so good that their own reckless dissregard for the truth was quickly remedied and no-one was really hurt. By admitting liability upfront, CBS could effectively cut off any meaningful discovery, that is, depositions of Rather, Mapes, and the rest of Kerry's election team. The only plaintiff I could envision as having enough "losses" to make CBS and their insurers (if their policy covers fraud) nervous is Bush's re-election committee. They could argue that millions had to be spent to undo the damage done by CBS--since the MSM is still carrying the story. Bush, though, to his credit, is a gentlemen (a true Texan trait) who is willing to let these things pass. Has he ever uttered an unkind word? Anyway, on the civil side, I don't see CBS having much to worry about.

On the criminal side, I'm getting a little uneasy that the MSM has no interest in hounding on this issue until someone gets sent up for forging government documents.

The Killian family may have a civil tort claim.

The Texas State Adjutant General (head of the Tex NG) has a claim. it's ultimately his documents that were forged. same same the Texas AG, those were Texas documents forged.

Don't forget USA Today.
I do not know if they would but they are an injured party as CBS.

By the way, I was wrong yesterday.
I thought I remembered a posting in the Kerry Spot but it was "Anatomy of a Forgery" by The Prowler at the American Spectator posted on 9/10/2004.

It starts: "More than six weeks ago, an oppositionresearch staffer for the Democratic Committee received documents..."

It would be interesting to put a name on this research staffer !

- Actually there are a multitude of injured parties - How about a class action suit by the entire Republican electorate "for electioneering and interstate racketeering and fraud" naming every bad guy player in this mess just to give them all the good publicity before all the roaches scurry off into the dark corners....

Need an injured party to file a complaint in a civil case? Absolutely. Need an injured party to file an information in a criminal case? No. Murder victims cannot file a complaint. The state files the complaint as it is the injured party, the peace of the state having been violated.

The police chief here, in my opinion, just doesn't want to get involved in a political cat fight.

Old lady Knox.

Memos indirectly purported to be typed by her.

Knox doesn't care. She has the opposite political motivation.