Hoedown Boss Sues Blogger

Denis Benoit, the organizer of the event that was to feature Ronnie Dunn, Sheryl Crow, Reba, and Taylor Swift, claims a 2012 blog post by McRighty – real name Greg Harris – “severely injured” his “credit, character and reputation as a reputable businessman,” according to the Ottawa Sun.

Harris founded the city’s O-Town Hoedown three years ago before Capital Hoedown was created and the similarities in name have been a source of contention, according to the paper. Harris’ post reportedly was gleeful about Benoit’s failed event, and was happy at seeing Benoit “get his karmic comeuppance,” according to the lawsuit.

Further, when Benoit asked Harris to remove the post, the latter “maliciously mocked the request for an apology” in another blog post, the lawsuit claims.

Benoit seeks $250,000 in the defamation lawsuit. 

Capital Hoedown was to take place Aug. 10-12, 2012 but Benoit canceled the event in July citing “unforeseen operating obstacles, several media reports containing untrue, defamatory and injurious statements … and the City’s denial for a new event permit,” according to a Facebook post. By that point, the headliners had dropped out of the event one by one.

Last February, Evo Ticketing Services – the company that processed tickets for the canceled event – sued the agent of Swift to reclaim some of her alleged $2.5 million advance, which included a nonrefundable $250,000 deposit, according to the Ottawa Citizen.

Harris told the Sun the lawsuit was “absolutely ridiculous” but was concerned he will not have the money to fight it even though “every point that’s in my original blog piece I can back up.”

He said he is soliciting donations through his website and is planning an April 3 fundraising concert.

Harris appears to be taking it in stride.

“[I recently said] the only good thing to come out of this lawsuit was getting the words Fluffy McPoopypants into a legal document,” he wrote on his blog March 4. “Also getting Alan Neal to say it on CBC radio was a plus.”

He also “temporarily” deleted the original post until the lawsuit is settled, leaving a poem in its place: “Roses are red, violets are blue / Do you have any money? / Because I’m taking it up the ass here.”