75 Million for Defaming Former Colleagues

In a recent development, retired Atlanta defamation attorney L. Lin Wood has been ordered by a jury to pay $3.75 million to three of his former colleagues after defaming them to thousands of his social media followers. Wood, known for his controversial theories about fraud during the 2020 presidential election, had repeatedly accused the attorneys – Nicole Wade, Jonathan Grunberg, and Taylor Wilson – of being criminal extortionists.

The defamation case stemmed from a yearslong battle over client fees between Wood and the three attorneys who left his Atlanta law firm in February 2020. Wood's defamatory comments, which were published on the Telegram app in 2021, were deemed at least negligent by the jury during the trial in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia.

Prior to the lawsuit, Wade, Grunberg, and Wilson had offered to settle their fee grievance against Wood for $1.25 million. In response to the jury’s decision, Wade expressed gratitude, stating, "We're just very thankful that a federal jury took so much time out of their lives to hear us out and were able to reach this result on our behalf."

Wood's attorneys declined to comment on the verdict, and the trial will now proceed with the larger client fee case in Fulton County Superior Court. The attorneys representing Wade, Grunberg, and Wilson expressed satisfaction with the outcome and look forward to continuing their case. Drew Beal, one of the attorneys, added, "This is a very large verdict for defamation cases in the state of Georgia, especially against a very accomplished defamation attorney."

The trial followed a previous ruling in March, where Wood's comments were found to be false and defamatory. It was noted that Wood had encouraged his Telegram followers to file complaints against Wade, Grunberg, and Wilson with the State Bar of Georgia, suggesting their disbarment. The recent jury had the task of determining the damages for which Wood would be liable.

During the trial, Wood testified that he felt compelled to speak out publicly against his former colleagues while vying for election as the chair of South Carolina's Republican Party in 2021. He claimed that the allegations made by Wade, Grunberg, and Wilson, including the refusal to pay them their share of client fees, had adversely affected his campaign. Wood stated to the jury, "You get penalized when you speak the truth. I spoke out to defend myself."

Wood's dispute with the three attorneys had attracted the attention of the State Bar of Georgia, which was investigating his conduct. Wood eventually surrendered his law license in July 2023, and the investigation was concluded. In an interview, Wood confirmed that he was now retired and not licensed to practice law outside of Georgia.

The ongoing client fee dispute has had additional repercussions for Wood. He was sanctioned by Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee for violating a court order that prohibited him from disparaging Wade, Grunberg, and Wilson. Wood was fined $5,000 and ordered to pay more than $42,000 in attorney fees. Further sanctions were warned if he continued to make negative statements about his former colleagues.

Despite the legal battles, the three attorneys founded their own firm specializing in defamation cases after leaving Wood's law firm. Together with Wood, they had represented high-profile clients such as Richard Jewell, Vernon Unsworth, and Nicholas Sandmann.

The outcome of this landmark defamation case against L. Lin Wood serves as a significant verdict in the state of Georgia and highlights the impact of defamatory statements made through social media platforms.