Brett Favre appeals dismissal of defamation lawsuit against Shannon Sharpe
Brett Favre isn't ready to give up on his legal battle with fellow Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe.
Via A.J. Perez of FrontOfficeSports.com, Favre has filed official notice that he will appeal last month's decision dismissing his defamation case against Sharpe.
Favre's beef with Sharpe traces to comments Sharpe made about Favre's alleged involvement in a Mississippi welfare scandal. Sharpe said, while appearing on FS1's Undisputed, that Favre “stole money from people that really needed that money.”
“No reasonable person listening to the broadcast would think that Favre actually went into the homes of poor people and took their money — that he committed the crime of theft/larceny against any particular poor person in Mississippi,” the judge wrote in the order dismissing the case. “Sharpe’s comments were made against the backdrop of longstanding media coverage of Favre’s role in the welfare scandal and the state’s lawsuit against Favre. Listeners would have recognized Sharpe’s statements as rhetorical hyperbole.”
Every litigant in the federal system has the absolute right to appeal an adverse decision to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the specific federal circuit encompassing each state. For Mississippi, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit has jurisdiction.
The notice of appeal starts the process. A briefing schedule eventually will be set, with Favre filing paperwork then Sharpe then Favre having the final say. At some point, oral argument will be set. After that, everyone wait for a decision.
Start to finish, it could take a year or so, maybe longer, to resolve the appeal.
