A Sheppard White Collar team, led by Gene Besen and Scarlett Nokes, secured a significant victory for the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee in litigation brought by former SBC President Johnny Hunt. On August 12, 2026, Chief U.S. District Judge William L. Campbell, Jr. of the Middle District of Tennessee granted summary judgment on Hunt’s remaining defamation claim arising from a November 2022 statement by then-SBC President Bart Barber.
The Court agreed that Hunt was a public figure and therefore required to prove actual malice. Because Hunt lacked such evidence, the Court entered judgment in favor of the SBC Defendants, ending the district court proceedings.
Judge Campbell's ruling is the latest and one of the most consequential milestones in litigation stemming from the aftermath of the SBC-commissioned investigation and report. It represents another substantial step in bringing a close to the broader series of legal proceedings that followed the report’s 2022 release.
Read the decision here.