What was the settlement for the Jewell case?
In early December, NBC reached an out of court settlement with Jewell for an amount reported by the Wall Street Journal as more than $500,000. In late January, Jewell’s attorneys announced a second settlement, this time with CNN. The terms of this settlement are also confidential.
How much did Chris Jewell get paid for his lawsuit?
CNN and the New York Post settled with Jewell for undisclosed amounts. NBC did not withdraw the story they published, but they made a $500,000 payment to Jewell. Jewell also sued Piedmont College, his former employer, who settled for an undisclosed amount as well.
Is Richard Jewell's lawyer criticizing'Richard Jewell'?
The attorney for Richard Jewell, who came under suspicion in the 1996 Olympic Park bombing before he was exonerated, criticized the movie "Richard Jewell" on Thursday night, calling its depiction of a reporter at the center of the movie "false and damning."
How did Richard Jewell get paid for Piedmont bombing?
In addition to Piedmont, Jewell has reached monetary settlements with CNN and NBC over their coverage of the bombing, and with an Atlanta radio station that used his picture in a billboard campaign. Time magazine agreed to print a clarification about its Jewell coverage, but no money was involved in that agreement.
How much did Jewell settle for?
In early December, NBC reached an out of court settlement with Jewell for an amount reported by the Wall Street Journal as more than $500,000. In late January, Jewell’s attorneys announced a second settlement, this time with CNN.
What happened to Richard Jewell?
Jewell case fallout includes lawsuits, settlements, hearings. GEORGIA–Almost six months after a Federal Bureau of Investigation leak identified him as the number-one suspect in last summer’s bombing in Centennial Olympic Park, Richard Jewell remains at the center of controversies over the handling of the investigation.
Who is the attorney for Jewell?
L. Lin Wood, one of Jewell’s Attorneys, said that the current lawsuits as well as the earlier settlements are designed not just to compensate Jewell for personal injury, but to “bring a measure of accountability to the named parties.”.
Who is the owner of the Atlanta Journal and Constitution?
Jewell in late January also filed a defamation suit against Cox Enterprises Inc., the owner of the Atlanta Journal and Constitution. The Journal first reported in late July that Jewell had become the focus of the Federal investigation.
Who sent Richard Jewell a letter?
On October 26, 1996, the US Attorney in Atlanta, Kent Alexander, sent Jewell a letter saying "based on the evidence developed to date ... Richard Jewell is not considered a target of the federal criminal investigation into the bombing on July 27, 1996, at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta". The letter did not include an apology, but in a separate statement issued by Alexander, the U.S. Justice Department regretted the leaking of the investigation.
Who is Richard Jewell?
For the architect, see Richard Roach Jewell. Richard Allensworth Jewell (born Richard White; December 17, 1962 – August 29, 2007) was an American security guard and law enforcement officer who alerted police during the Centennial Olympic Park bombing at the 1996 Summer Olympics in ...
Why did Jewell place a rose at the Olympic Park?
Jewell was chosen in keeping with the parade's theme of "Unsung Heroes". On each anniversary of the bombing until his illness and eventual death , he would privately place a rose at the Centennial Olympic Park scene where spectator Alice Hawthorne died.
What did Jewell do before the bombing?
He alerted law enforcement and helped evacuate the area before the bomb exploded, probably saving many people from injury or death. Initially hailed by the media as a hero, Jewell was soon considered a suspect by the FBI and local law enforcement based on scientific profiling.
Why did Richard Jewell sue the Atlanta Journal-Constitution?
Jewell sued the Atlanta Journal-Constitution because, according to Jewell, the paper's headline ("FBI suspects 'hero' guard may have planted bomb") "pretty much started the whirlwind". In one article, the Atlanta Journal compared Richard Jewell's case to that of serial killer Wayne Williams.
How did Jewell die?
Jewell had been diagnosed withhhh diabetes in February 2007 and suffered kidney failure and other medical problems related to his diagnosis in the following months. His wife, Dana, found him dead on the floor of their bedroom when she came home from work on August 29, 2007; he was 44. An autopsy found the cause of death to be severe heart disease with diabetes and related complications as a contributing factor.
Why did Jewell and other security guards begin clearing the immediate area?
During a Jack Mack and the Heart Attack performance, Jewell and other security guards began clearing the immediate area so that a bomb squad could investigate the suspicious package.
What happened to Tom Brokaw and Jewell?
Jewell and Bryant are mounting a sustained assault on some of the nation's largest media companies. They have already taken on NBC and anchor Tom Brokaw, wresting the extraordinary cash payment to avert a possible defamation lawsuit. The network didn't issue an apology, ...
Who was the most famous security guard in 1997?
Jan. 3, 1997 1:22 am ET. Print. Text. ATLANTA -- Richard Jewell, the world's most famous security guard, has recently racked up two big wins: a very public statement by the FBI that he didn't plant the bomb that shattered the 1996 Olympics, and a very quiet, six-figure settlement from NBC, whose star news anchor had landed ...
Did Bryant and Jewell take lunch breaks?
Some days, Mr. Bryant would give Mr. Jewell a ride home and let him borrow his radar detector. They often took lunch breaks together at a nearby Chick-Fil-A and zapped imaginary aliens in the "Galaxians" video game at the Gold Mine arcade.
What did Jewell sue for?
Within weeks, law enforcement cleared Jewell of suspicion. When the dust settled, Jewell sued multiple news organizations for defamation, many of which quickly settled out of court with the embattled security guard—with one notable exception: the AJC.
Who saved countless lives on July 27, 1996?
Advertisement. Advertisement. Advertisement. Richard Jewell saved countless lives on July 27, 1996.
What newspaper was the victim of the 1996 bombing?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution was the hometown newspaper of record during the 1996 bombing and remains a journalistic force in the South. In the aftermath of the bombing, the newspaper, whose motto was “Covers Dixie like the Dew,” tenaciously clung to the Jewell story, unmasking any information it could about the suspected security guard.
Did Richard Jewell prevail in his case against the AJC?
In most cases, public figures don’t prevail in defamation cases. Richard Jewell did not prevail in his case against the AJC. Advertisement. It is now the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that is complaining about being unfairly treated in Eastwood’s biopic about Richard Jewell.
Did Jewell sue the news?
Within weeks, law enforcement cleared Jewell of suspicion. When the dust settled, Jewell sued multiple news organizations for defamation, many of which quickly settled out of court with the embattled security guard—with one notable exception: the AJC. In fact, the paper continued to fight the case through three levels of the Georgia courts to the United States Supreme Court (which declined to review the case) and back, including long after Jewell’s untimely death in 2007 at the age of 44.
Who plays Kathy Scruggs in Richard Jewell?
Olivia Wilde as Kathy Scruggs in Richard Jewell. Warner Bros. Pictures. This Friday, Clint Eastwood’s biopic Richard Jewell will be released in theaters. It’s already the subject of controversy, as the Atlanta Journal-Constitution has hired the prominent lawyer Martin Singer to warn Eastwood, screenwriter Billy Ray, and Warner Bros.
Was Jewell a hero or villain?
Instead, under the searing glare of the world’s media outlets, already assembled in Atlanta for the Summer Olympics, Jewell turned from hero to villain almost overnight, and a media circus ensued. Federal and local law enforcement authorities clearly were under pressure to find a suspect. Jewell provided that cover.
Where was Richard Jewell?
On July 27, 1996, he was working as a security guard at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, Georgia, where thousands of people had come together for a late concert. He found a backpack filled with three pipe bombs and notified ...
What diseases did Richard Jewell have?
Jewell had been diagnosed with heart diseases, kidney diseases, and diabetes. He passed away on August 29, 2007. In the upcoming Clint Eastwood film ‘Richard Jewell’, Paul Walter Hauser is set to portray the titular character.
When did Sonny Perdue release his apology to Jewell?
In October 1996, he was formally absolved of any blame for the bombing. He subsequently filed libel lawsuits against a number of news outlets. In 2006, Governor Sonny Perdue released a public statement, expressing his gratitude on behalf of the people of Georgia towards Jewell for his actions during the Olympics.
Who was the security guard at the 1996 Olympics?
Richard Allensworth Jewell was a police officer and security guard from America who gained media attention for his connection with the Centennial Olympic Park bombing at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. Employed as a security guard for AT&T, Jewell found a backpack with three pipe bombs on the park grounds.
Was Richard Jewell a hero?
Initially after the bombing, the media reports portrayed Richard Jewell as a hero. Three days later, ‘The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’ published an article in which it was reported that the FBI was considering him a possible suspect, as the agency believed that a “lone bomber” was responsible for the incident.
Did CNN settle with Jewell?
CNN and the New York Post settled with Jewell for undisclosed amounts. NBC did not withdraw the story they published, but they made a $500,000 payment to Jewell. Jewell also sued Piedmont College, his former employer, who settled for an undisclosed amount as well.
Who wrote Jewell a letter?
In October 1996, the investigating US Attorney, Kent Alexander, wrote Jewell a letter, in which he declared the other man to be innocent. This had rarely happened before.
Who represented Richard Jewell in the lawsuit?
In a thread on Twitter on Thursday night, Lin Wood, the prominent defamation lawyer who represented Jewell in lawsuits against The Journal-Constitution and other media organizations, joined the movie's critics. Referring to the newspaper by its commonly used nickname, Wood wrote: "I handled Richard Jewell's case against AJC for 16 years.
What was the center of the vilification of Jewell?
Wilde also said in her Twitter thread that Scruggs was at the center of the "brutal and unjust vilification" of Jewell and that the film centered on the tragedy of the accusations against him.
Who played Kathy Scruggs in Richard Jewell?
Olivia Wilde as Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter Kathy Scruggs in the movie 'Richard Jewell.'. Warner Bros. The attorney for Richard Jewell, who came under suspicion in the 1996 Olympic Park bombing before he was exonerated, criticized the movie "Richard Jewell" on Thursday night, calling its depiction of a reporter at the center ...
Who slept with the FBI agent?
The movie, directed by Clint Eastwood, strongly suggests that the reporter, Kathy Scruggs of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, slept with an FBI agent to get information on the investigation. Many journalists have strongly criticized the portrayal as perpetuating a pernicious and false stereotype that some female journalists trade sex ...
Did NBC News settle Jewell's lawsuit?
In 2011, the Georgia Court of Appeals ruled for the newspaper, which had refused to negotiate a settlement of Jewell's lawsuit. Other news organizations, including NBC News, settled similar cases, generally for undisclosed sums and with the assertion that they stood by their reporting.
Did Richard Jewell's lawyer say Kathy Scruggs traded sex for tips?
Richard Jewell's lawyer agrees the movie smeared Atlanta newspaper reporter. "There was NO evidence to support a storyline" that Kathy Scruggs traded sex for tips about Richard Jewell, his attorney tweeted. "We never made such a false & damning claim.".
Overview
Richard Allensworth Jewell (born Richard White; December 17, 1962 – August 29, 2007) was an American security guard and law enforcement officer who alerted police during the Centennial Olympic Park bombing at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. He discovered a backpack containing three pipe bombs on the park grounds and helped evacuate the area before the bomb exp…
Early life
Jewell was born Richard White in Danville, Virginia, the son of Bobi, an insurance claims coordinator, and Robert Earl White, who worked for Chevrolet. Richard's birth parents divorced when he was four. When his mother later married John Jewell, an insurance executive, his stepfather adopted him.
Olympic bombing accusation
Centennial Olympic Park was designed as the "town square" of the Olympics, and thousands of spectators had gathered for a late concert and merrymaking. Sometime after midnight, July 27, 1996, Eric Robert Rudolph, a terrorist who would later bomb a lesbian nightclub and two abortion clinics, planted a green backpack containing a fragmentation-laden pipe bomb under a bench. Jewell was working as a security guard for the event. He discovered the bag and alerted Georgia …
Subsequent life, career and public appearances
Jewell worked in various law enforcement jobs, including as a police officer in Pendergrass, Georgia. He worked as a deputy sheriff in Meriwether County, Georgia, until his death. He also gave speeches at colleges. On July 30, 1997, Jewell testified before a subcommittee of the U.S. House of Representatives in which he called for an independent investigation into methods used by FBI agents during their investigation of him. He appeared in Michael Moore's 1997 film The Big One. …
Libel cases
After he was dropped as a suspect, Jewell filed libel suits against the NBC News, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, CNN, the New York Post, and Piedmont College.
Jewell sued the Atlanta Journal-Constitution because, according to Jewell, the paper's headline ("FBI suspects 'hero' guard may have planted bomb") "pretty much started the whirlwind." In one article, the Journal-Constitution compared Jewell's case to that of serial killer Wayne Williams.
Media portrayals
Richard Jewell, a biographical drama film, was released in the United States on December 13, 2019. The film was directed and produced by Clint Eastwood. It was written by Billy Ray, based on the 1997 article "American Nightmare: The Ballad of Richard Jewell," by Marie Brenner, and the book The Suspect: An Olympic Bombing, the FBI, the Media, and Richard Jewell, the Man Caught in the Middle (2019) by Kent Alexander and Kevin Salwen. Jewell is played by Paul Walter Hauser.
Death
Jewell had been diagnosed with diabetes in February 2007 and suffered kidney failure and other medical problems related to his diagnosis in the following months. His wife, Dana, found him dead on the floor of their bedroom when she came home from work on August 29, 2007; he was 44. An autopsy found the cause of death to be severe heart disease with diabetes and related complicati…
See also
• Centennial Olympic Park bombing