Redskins Owner and Potomac Resident Sues Washington City Paper

Redskins owner and Potomac resident Dan Snyder filed a $2 million lawsuit on Wednesday against the Washington City Paper’s parent company for an article the paper ran in November that contained incorrect information, Snyder’s lawyers said in a Washington Examiner story.

The Nov. 19 Washington City Paper article by Dave McKenna was an “encyclopedia of the owner's many failings” and included a photo of the team owner, used as an illustration, where Snyder had satanic horns and a beard drawn on him by hand.

The article highlighted Snyder’s shortcomings as the owner of the Redskins and also in his personal life, including in 2004, when Snyder cut down trees protected by the National Park Service between his Potomac property and the C&O Canal to get a better view of the Potomac River, according to the article.

The article has defamed Snyder, said Redskins Chief Operating Officer David Donovan in the Examiner story. The lawsuit listed a number of alleged falsehoods in the article, including that Snyder forged signatures while with Snyder Communications.

The City Paper responded to the lawsuit on Wednesday, and Publisher Amy Austin said the paper reported the story accurately.

Austin said the paper offered to let Snyder sit down with the editor to discuss his concerns, invited him to provide information proving the story was wrong and gave him the opportunity to write a guest column responding to the article. Snyder did not respond to the requests, according to Austin.

“It’s extremely unfortunate that Snyder believes that it is appropriate to threaten City Paper with litigation because he objects to our coverage,” Austin wrote in the paper’s response.

“As a 30-year-old newspaper and vibrant website committed to both in-depth news reporting and full-throated commentary, we do not believe that using the court system to stifle or chill free speech is ever appropriate.”