A defamation lawsuit, connected to the bitter election campaign for St. Joseph County Probate judge last year, has been settled out of court.
The lawsuit, filed against Henry Davis Jr., arose from an October press conference on the lawn outside then-Judge Jascon Cichowicz’s offices at the Juvenile Justice Center. Cichowicz was in a heated re-election race with Loris Zappia, who would end up winning the November election.
Davis, a former South Bend Common Council member, joined Zappia supporters in the press conference. Davis said that Cichowicz had “stole money” to give it to the Juvenile Justice Center.
That was a reference to the Indiana Supreme Court having suspended Cichowicz’ law license for 45 days. The court disciplined Cichowicz for, among other things, moving money from a client’s trust fund to the probate court for various improvement projects without disclosing where the money came from.
Cichowicz served the suspension last summer but has said he has no regrets over his actions that led to it. The day after the press conference, he sued Davis for defamation, arguing Davis had damaged his reputation by making a false statement. The settlement calls for Allstate, Davis’ homeowner insurer, to pay Cichowicz $2,500 to drop the suit. The county Democratic Party released a court document from the case Thursday.
Soon after Cicowicz filed suit, a local blogger who helped organize the press conference started a GoFundMe to raise money for Davis’ legal fees. It had a $15,000 goal but had yet to receive a donation as of Thursday.
