Court Tosses Defamation Suits By Boston Founder Tom Scholz

The highest court in Massachusetts has thrown out defamation lawsuits filed by the founder of the rock group Boston against the ex-wife of the band’s late lead singer and the “Boston Herald.”

Tom Scholz sued after the Herald published articles in which leader singer Brad Delp’s ex-wife, Micki, made remarks that Scholz claimed could be construed as blaming him for Delp’s 2007 suicide.

Photo: Mike Oberg / Pollstar

Ironstone Amphitheatre, Murphys, Calif.

A judge threw out the lawsuit against Micki Delp in 2011, but the state Appeals Court reinstated it. A different judge threw out Scholz’s separate lawsuit against the Herald.

On Wednesday, the Supreme Judicial Court found that Micki Delp’s statements were opinions, so they couldn’t form the basis of a defamation claim.

Boston was best known for its 1976 debut album and hit single “More Than a Feeling.”