By Philip Haldiman | The Arizona Republic
A Cave Creek couple have filed a defamation suit against the publisher of a local newspaper.
Gilbert and Arsenia Lopez have filed the complaint against Don Sorchych, who also is editor of the Sonoran News, alleging they suffered “damage to their reputation, their standing in the community and their good name” as a result of statements published in the paper they say are false, according to court documents.
Sorchych’s wife, Shari Jo, and reporter Linda Bentley also have been named in the suit.
The complaint, filed in Maricopa County Superior Court, stems from articles Sorchych published in the Sonoran News alleging that Gilbert Lopez, a former Cave Creek town councilman, promised the Carefree Cave Creek Chamber of Commerce just under $10,000 to pay for an information center in 2007.
Lopez said he never made such a promise but would not comment further about the lawsuit.
