Montgomery Fights Lawsuit

John Michael Montgomery asked a judge to dismiss a slander lawsuit filed against him by former Lexington, Ky., police officer Joshua Cromer on the grounds that the singer’s statements to police were "pure opinion" and therefore not slanderous.

Montgomery’s attorney, Brent Caldwell, filed a motion mid-September claiming the performer can’t be sued because the statements he made to police following his February 2006 drunken-driving arrest qualify as privileged information.

Cromer’s lawsuit accuses Montgomery of lying to internal affairs reps about the then-officer’s actions during the arrest. Cromer was fired partly for posting information about the bust on his MySpace page as well as acting inappropriately. The termination is under appeal.

Montgomery entered a plea agreement last August for the DUI charge. He was ordered to pay fines and attend an alcohol education course.