May 27, 1999: Internet Defamation - Art's Secret

Art Bell devotes this deeply personal broadcast to addressing a nightmare that has consumed his life for over a year. He introduces his attorney, Gerald Fox of Fox, Sigler and Spillane in Los Angeles, to explain two major defamation lawsuits filed on Art's behalf. The first targets Ted Gunderson, David Hinkson, and shortwave station WWCR in Nashville for broadcasting false claims that Art was indicted for child molestation and bribed officials to cover it up.

The second lawsuit, filed that same day in Los Angeles Superior Court, targets David John Oates and Robert A.M. Stevens for fabricating claims that Art was arrested for trafficking in pornography. Jerry Fox details how independent investigation, including records from the Monterey County clerk and the Monterey Herald, confirmed every allegation to be completely false. The complaint includes six counts ranging from slander and conspiracy to intentional infliction of emotional distress.

Art reveals that these attacks connect to an undisclosed family tragedy from December 1997 that prompted his sudden departure from the air. He and Jerry discuss the lack of accountability on the internet, the difference between free speech and defamation, and the devastating personal toll of being publicly branded with the worst accusation imaginable. Art promises that the full story will become public within the week.