Didn't take longRutgers Student Lawsuit vs Imus

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Rutgers Student Files Lawsuit Against Imus, CBS

NEW YORK (AP) -- A member of the Rutgers women's basketball team

sued Don Imus and CBS on Tuesday, claiming the radio personality's

sexist and racist comments about the team damaged her reputation.

Kia Vaughn filed the defamation of character lawsuit in state Supreme

Court in the Bronx the same day Imus, who was fired after his

comments, settled with CBS Radio in a deal that pre-empts his

threatened $120 million breach-of-contract lawsuit against CBS.

Vaughn's lawsuit, believed to be the first by a player in the case,

says Imus and his former co-host Bernard McGuirk along with CBS

Corp., CBS Radio, MSNBC and other media outlets that broadcast his

show are legally responsible for damage done to her character and

reputation. There is no dollar amount listed in the suit.

Vaughn's attorney, Ancowitz, said, " The full effect of the

damage remains to be seen.''

" This is about Kia Vaughn's good name,'' Ancowitz said. " She would do

anything to return to her life as a student and respected basketball

player -- a more simple life before Imus opened his mouth.''

Imus referred to the basketball players as " nappy-headed hos'' on his

nationally syndicated radio program April 4 and became the target of

heated protests led by the Rev. Al Sharpton. He was fired shortly

after. But he overcame a major hurdle in his widely expected comeback

with the settlement Tuesday. It's possible he will return to the air.

The Vaughn suit claims that the comments were made in the context of

a news or sports report and therefore Imus had certain standards to

abide by but ignored them. The suit reprints the script from

the " Imus in the Morning'' show on which the comments were made.

" The ... false, defamatory, sexually denigrating and slanderous

statements and comments against the women athletes of said basketball

team were heard, believed and understood by millions of listeners ...

as factual pronouncements concerning the character, chastity and

reputation of the plaintiff,'' the lawsuit says.

Vaughn was humiliated, embarrassed and publicly mocked for the

comments, the suit claims.

A telephone message left for Imus' attorney was not immediately

returned Tuesday. A spokeswoman for CBS Radio declined to comment,

and CBS network spokesman Dana McClintock did not immediately return

a message. MSNBC said it hadn't seen the lawsuit.

A Rutgers athletics spokeswoman didn't immediately return a call for

comment on Tuesday night.

Vaughn, a junior from the Bronx who was a center on the team, had

spoken out about Imus on Oprah Winfrey's talk show. She said the

comments completely overshadowed her team's amazing season -- one the

coach has called the most rewarding of her career.

" Our moment was stolen from us,'' Vaughn said. " Instead of us coming

here to enjoy what we accomplished and how far we came, we had to sit

back and look at media asking questions about what he said.''