From today's decision by Judge Keith Starrett (S.D. Miss.) in Favre v. Sharpe:
This dispute in this case arises from statements made by Shannon Sharpe, an NFL Hall of Fame tight end and the co-host of a daily sports debate show, "Undisputed," about retired NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre and his widely-reported involvement in a Mississippi welfare fraud scandal. Favre has sued Sharpe for defamation over certain statements, and Sharpe moves to dismiss on the bases that the statements Sharpe made are protected from liability on two grounds and that Favre failed to comply with Mississippi's retraction statute….
The factual backdrop of this lawsuit is one of the largest public fund fraud scandals in Mississippi history. In or around October 2021, the Mississippi Office of the State Auditor determined, based on an independent forensic audit commissioned by the Mississippi Department of Human Services, that more than $77 million dollars in federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families ("TANF") funds had been diverted from their statutory purpose and spent illegally.
This welfare scandal has resulted in significant criminal charges. To date, six individuals have pled guilty to state or federal felonies, or both, related to their involvement in the scandal, including the former Executive Director of the Mississippi Department of Human Services, four executives of non-profit organizations that received and spent welfare funds, and a retired professional wrestler. While Favre has never been criminally charged, the State of Mississippi's Department of Human Services ("MDHS") filed a civil lawsuit against Favre and his company, Favre Enterprises, along with many others, seeking to recover the misspent welfare dollars.
