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Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Yahoo
KY mayor says critics are part of a ‘pedo clan,' demands lawsuits against him be dropped
An unusual scene unfolded Thursday afternoon in Laurel County, as London Mayor Randall Weddle hosted a news conference to double down on claims that several of his critics in the city are part of an organized group of pedophiles. Those critics have filed two separate lawsuits against Weddle for defamation this month because of the mayor's accusations, but Weddle insisted Thursday he has proof they're true. 'I have been standing here for four years, trying to fight a corrupt system down here that has been controlled by a pedo clan,' Weddle said. The public fight began late last year when three residents — brothers John and James Phelps, and Elijah Jarvis — were critical of the city after police shot and killed 63-year-old Doug Harless while trying to serve a warrant for stolen property. A mix-up in housing numbers in the rural area led police to the home of Harless, even though he was not listed as a suspect in the investigation. Weddle was then a guest this month on a since-deleted episode of the podcast 'True Crimecast,' where he accused the Phelps brothers of sex trafficking, drug dealing and murder, according to a defamation lawsuit filed Feb. 14 by the brothers. Brothers John and James Phelps have never been charged with any of those crimes, court records show. A third brother, Doug Phelps, was a school administrator before pleading guilty to possession of child pornography and tampering with a witness in 2013. He was sentenced to three years in prison, but he was pardoned by former Gov. Matt Bevin in December 2019. Weddle made similar accusations about pedophilia during the podcast episode against Jarvis, who also has not been charged with any crimes. John and James Phelps sued Weddle and the city of London, and Jarvis sued Weddle and the podcast hosts Feb. 21. Branden Voelker, the lawyer for all three men, said the statements are '100% false.' Weddle claimed Voelker was critical of the city in videos posted to the social media platform TikTok. Voelker said he has never posted on the platform. 'Anyone who continues to defame my clients, we will seek redress for that defamatory and reckless conduct,' Voelker told the Herald-Leader Thursday evening. 'I look forward to asking (Weddle) questions under oath to ascertain all the facts that he believes and asserts his claims — based on what he placed in his conference today — that he believes what he is saying is truthful.' Weddle and his personal lawyer, Jeremy Bryant, brought hundreds of pages of documents they claim prove the mayor's critics are part of 'deep corruption' in the town of about 7,600 residents. Bryant and Weddle passed out massive stacks of interview transcripts, police investigation files, emails, texts and photos they claim outline the trio's crimes. Kentucky State Police did not immediately respond to a request for information about the accusations Thursday. The plaintiffs in both lawsuits claim Weddle made public and defamatory statements about them. John and James Phelps, both former Kentucky State troopers, claim Weddle's accusations are false and intended to damage their reputation. In addition to claiming the mayor's accusations are false, Jarvis notes in his lawsuit that last month, county 911 officials tampered with a package of records he requested about last year's police shooting, and that Jarvis was removed from a heated city council meeting in early February. Weddle, 43, was elected in 2022 to serve a four year term. On Thursday, the mayor's lawyer gave the defamation plaintiffs an ultimatum: Drop the lawsuits by 5 p.m. Friday, or the mayor will line Main Street in London with alleged victims and their supporters. 'If this case is still pending past 5 p.m. tomorrow, we are going down that rabbit hole,' Bryant said. 'And we are going to find everything that is in it.' Voelker said his clients have no plans to dismiss the suits.
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Defamation plaintiffs aren't backing down following London mayor's demands
LONDON, Ky. (FOX 56)—Amid a host of controversies, City of London Mayor Randall Weddle fired back at his social media accusers in a private briefing on Thursday afternoon. The mayor's appearance on True Crimecast's 'The End of Deep Corruption' has led to two defamation lawsuits being filed only a week from one another. London mayor Randall Weddle faces another defamation lawsuit London mayor to present evidence at news conference following defamation lawsuits Two former state troopers, James 'Jimmy' and John Phelps, and a London resident, Elijah Jarvis, alleged the mayor made false and damaging statements against them online. Court documents allege that the mayor accused Jarvis and the Phelps brothers of sexual misconduct and committing other crimes, including murder. On Wednesday, an invitation from Jeremey Bryant, Weddle's counsel, teased that Weddle would provide 'documentary evidence' to back up his claims. 'I have been standing for four years trying to fight a corrupt system,' Weddle said on Thursday. FOX 56 spoke with the plaintiffs' attorney, Brandon Voelker, on the heels of the second lawsuit being filed. 'Whenever somebody seeks to question him, instead of just answering, he attacks people,' Voelker told FOX 56 on Tuesday. 'You know the way he feels is that he's not really like the elected mayor. He's more like a king or a monarch. And I think that's a, a scary proposition for a city that has somebody that believes they're not accountable to anyone.' Bryant noted that Thursday's event would be a direct response to Voelker's interview. FOX 56 initially reached out to Weddle for comment in response to the lawsuit, to which he affirmed their response would be made in court upon receipt of the litigation. Defamation plaintiffs aren't backing down following London mayor's demands Madison County sheriff seeks help to find missing 17-year-old Louisville, UK athletic leaders call NIL bill a win for student athletes But on Thursday, the energy shifted. 'I'm not going to allow my client, who I know to be a man of character, to be degraded as he was by Mr. Voelker and by the ridiculousness of these suits—I will not allow that,' Bryant said. 'So, rather than going through the litigation game and going through the game of using the media like Mr. Voelker seems to be doing, we are here with the truth. And if they proceed on after today, they will be doing so to their detriment.' Weddle questions the credibility of his accusers, and he and his attorney handed out nearly a hundred pages of documents in an attempt to show the 'truthfulness of his statements.' 'The facts lie in these documents—so that's why we're here today. And when you get an attorney out there that's basically saying I'm a tyrant, I try to act like a king to silence people—no, that's not true,' Weddle stated. The documents contain information regarding multiple court cases dating back to 2014, some of which are concerning records that have been expunged, the plaintiffs told FOX 56. 'The allegations they've made against me are false,' Jarvis told FOX 56. 'Nothing that they have shown or said proves any of the allegations they've made against me. Read more of the latest Kentucky news Bryant ultimately demanded that the litigation be dropped by 5 p.m. on Friday or they'll begin to 'go down the rabbit hole.' Voelker affirmed that he or his clients have no intention to drop the litigation. 'I think it's another attempt to distract the citizens of London and Laurel County,' Jarvis estimated. For more information on the lawsuits, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
26-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
London mayor Randall Weddle faces another defamation lawsuit
LONDON, Ky. (FOX 56) — Controversy continues to swirl in London after another lawsuit was filed against the city's mayor, Randall Weddle. He's being sued for defamation for the second time this month. Two former state troopers allege Weddle made false and damaging statements against them online. 'We've got a community divided like nothing I've ever seen in my lifetime,' said one of the plaintiffs, James Phelps. 'And I'm talking about with the city government, county government, citizens, and there's one common denominator for every bit of this division, and it's Randall Weddle.' James, who often goes by Jimmy, and his brother John filed a lawsuit against Weddle on Feb. 21, claiming he falsely accused the former state troopers of sexual misconduct and committing other crimes, including murder. WKU senior enters wrong home, is fatally shot Council approves multimillion dollar affordable housing build in northwest Lexington London mayor Randall Weddle faces another defamation lawsuit 'We were never suspects in any murder,' said Phelps. 'You know, whoever started that rumor, where it came from, we have no idea.' This comes on the heels of another lawsuit filed by Elijah Jarvis on Feb. 14. That one claims that Weddle accused Jarvis of sending nude pictures of girls and portrayed him as a child molester on a since-deleted 'True Crimecast' podcast episode. An attorney representing all three plaintiffs said he believes his clients were being attacked for questioning the way the city handled the case of Doug Harless, who was shot to death in December after police went to the wrong house to serve a search warrant. 'Me making the open records request is really just to shine a light on the corruption in London,' said Jarvis. Read more of the latest Lexington & central Kentucky news 'Whenever somebody seeks to question him, instead of just answering, he attacks people,' said the plaintiffs' attorney, Brian Voelker. Weddle mentioned one of the Phelps brothers from the lawsuit in a Facebook comment saying in part- 'Like I've always said, keeping Jimmy and Doug Phelps on me might keep them from messing with young girls.' The Phelps brothers said this is one of several false statements made by the mayor causing damage to their reputations and emotional distress, per the lawsuit. 'You know the way he feels is that he's not really like the elected mayor. He's more like a king or a monarch. And I think that's a, a scary proposition for a city, that has somebody that believes they're not accountable to anyone.' Read more of the latest Kentucky news Voelker said he hopes to present his clients' cases in front of the jury. 'And we also feel that the conduct is so reckless that it gives rise to where we think a jury should award punitive damages.' FOX 56 reached out to Weddle for a comment. He said that he hasn't been served with any lawsuit but that he will provide a statement if or when that happens. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
