[Southsider2k12]

http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/crime-a...b2d62a0cd3.html

LAPORTE — A LaPorte County commissioner, who is also a prominent physician, filed a defamation lawsuit against a political watchdog he said has connected him with the growing heroin problem.

Dr. Vidya Kora filed a defamation of character lawsuit Tuesday in LaPorte Circuit Court against Dennis Metheny.

He cited Metheny's statements during the public comment portion of the March 27 meeting of the LaPorte County Council as grounds for seeking unspecified damages.

Metheny, the former Coolspring Township trustee, did not directly blame Kora of overprescribing opioids, the painkiller associated as a gateway drug to heroine.

The lawsuit, though, alleges Metheny implied Kora had something to do with the problem through questions such as, "What would you say if I had two people who contacted me in regards to prescriptions that came from Dr. Kora that overprescribed opioids and I had their names? They personally contacted me. What would you say to that?