Bob Baffert seeks summary judgment in "Swifthitter" defamation case.
Horse trainer Bob Baffert has filed a motion for default judgment in a racketeering and defamation lawsuit against two New Jersey players.
The federal lawsuit alleges that Justin Wendler and Daniel DiCorcia falsely claimed on social media that they were in possession of hateful video footage that, in their words, would "destroy Baffert" if released to the public. .
The two have thousands of followers on X (formerly Twitter) as @SwiftHitter (Wunderler) and @barshoelife (DiCorcia).
Baffert, the six-time Kentucky Derby winner, also claimed the couple engaged in "escalating illegal and threatening conduct specifically targeting Baffert and his family" via social media and text messages to threaten, extort and defame him.
Doping Scandal
The charges against Wanderer and DiCorcia stem from the 2021 Kentucky Derby doping scandal. Baffert's Spirit of Medina failed a drug test after winning a race and the trainer was suspended from racing at Churchill Downs.
Barfoot denies doping. He said the Spirit of Medina was treated with a topical ointment for a rash, which led to the presence of betamethasone, a substance banned in Kentucky and other states, in the test.
The controversy intensified when Medina Spirit died of a heart attack six months later. At least 74 horses have died at Baffert Stables since 2000, a fact the defendants have repeatedly highlighted on social media.
Baffert's motion for details of the default judgment repeatedly attempted without success to personally serve Wanderer with a subpoena and a copy of the complaint, Blood Horse reports. The documents were eventually served to his mother, according to court records. Wandler did not file any documents or retain an attorney in the case, the motion said.
Vendler is a plaintiff in a separate federal civil lawsuit against Baffert, alleging that the drug scandal caused him to lose gambling revenue.
"Fabricated Scandal"
The Baffert lawsuit says the plaintiffs did not see the allegedly incriminating video. Nonetheless, Baffert's lawyers claim the video was "fraudulently edited to portray [their client] and his associates in a false light with the specific purpose of causing scandal."
The lawsuit also claims that Wanderer attempted to extort Baffert, demanding money in exchange for sharing the clips with his attorneys. Wunderler rejected the accusation.
The lawsuit alleges that before this year's Belmont Championship in New York, Wandler asked followers on the X to bring dangerous objects to the tournament and throw them at Baffert and his family. Wandler later posted a photo of Baffert's home and claimed he was "slaughtering horses on national television."
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Source: www.casino.org
