Judge Rules in Favor of 2024 duPont Finalist The 13th Step in Defamation Suit

by Darryl Laiu, 2023 duPont Fellow

In June this year, a judge ordered New Hampshire Public Radio (NHPR) reporter Lauren Chooljian to turn over to the court more than 2,800 pages of notes and communications related to the reporting behind the 2024 duPont Finalist, The 13th Step. Reporters' raw notes are considered sacrosanct and NHPR fought the effort before finally losing.

The decision followed a libel suit filed by Eric Spoffard, the subject of the podcast’s investigation, who claimed that Chooljian and NHPR were intentionally defaming him.

But last week, Chooljian was exonerated when Judge Daniel St. Hilaire ruled that there was “no evidence” of malice, after digging through the extensive internal material from Chooljian’s reporting.

"Having now completed this review, the Court concludes that the documents produced contain no evidence that any of the NHPR Defendants acted with actual malice," wrote St. Hilaire.

“We’re relieved that Judge St. Hilaire saw what we’ve long known to be true: This reporting is solid. Or in the judge’s words, ‘professional and diligent.’,” Chooljian told us.

She added: “We took incredible care with this investigation, just like we do with every other story we produce. I’m so proud to be part of this team.”

The 13th Step reported on multiple allegations of sexual misconduct, abusive behavior and retaliation against Spotford, the founder of the substance use treatment facilities Granite Recovery Centers.

The suit was originally dismissed in April this year, but the judge ordered NHPR to provide Chooljian’s notes and inter-newsroom communication that contained sensitive information about her sources, after Spoffard filed the request for her records.

In her reporting, Chooljian spoke to a woman who attended a recovery program and two former employees in the center. Fearing for their safety, she did not name them in the story. 

This concern may have been warranted. Chooljian herself has faced a series of vandalism attacks that began in April last year. The homes of her parents and her editor Dan Barrick were also attacked. 

In one of those incidents, Chooljian arrived at her home to discover that a brick had been thrown through a front window and “JUST THE BEGINNING” spray painted in big red letters on her house. 

Four men have been indicted for their roles in a conspiracy to harass and intimidate Chooljian and Barrick. 

One of the men, Eric Labarge, was previously seen posing with Spoffard in a now removed post on Spoffard’s Instagram. 

Spofford has denied any connection to the vandalism. 

The 13th Step may take home a Silver Baton on January 25th when this year’s Finalists are honored and Winners will be announced at a ceremony at Columbia University.