Dona Ana County Judge Rules In Favor Of KVIA In Libel Case

A Dona Ana County judge has ruled in favor of KVIA-TV in a more than two-year long libel case.

New Mexico State District Judge James T. Martin dismissed the lawsuit filed against KVIA by a Las Cruces landscaping company named Pond Escapes, owned by Eddie and Linda Wilson.

Martin also ruled that the plaintiffs had no evidence to support their claim.

In 2007, KVIA reported about a dispute between Pond Escapes and a Las Cruces homeowner.

In granting a defense motion for sanctions on Wednesday, Martin said the Wilsons and their counsel abused the judicial system.

Martin ruled that the plaintiffs submitted false evidence and that Linda Wilson testified falsely before the court.

Martin concluded that the Wilsons and attorney Paul Gayle-Smith have engaged in “a deliberate pattern and practice” of attempting to mislead the court and the defendants, and in so doing have “committed a fraud upon the court.”

The Wilsons have the right to appeal the ruling.