re: the letter to the Bayview Chamber of Commerce from Wetzel, Wetzel Bredeson & Holt, of Oct. 2, threatening a lawsuit for "defamation of character." (Herb Huseland, who provided a copy of he letter, provides his thoughts about the threat here and here):

"It has come to our attention that certain members of your organization have made repeated defamatory references to our law firm, formerly known as Wetzel & Wetzel P.L.L.C. Although we were not at the meetings in question, we are informed by reliable sources that Mr. Hobart Jenkins and Mr. Jere Mossier publicly referred to our law firm as "Weasel & Weasel." "This disparagement is actionable defamation in the State of Idaho. To successfully prove a case for defamation it must be shown (1) that you communicated information concerning our firm to others; (2) that the information was defamatory; and (3) that our firm and/or its members were damaged because of the communication. The issue of damages is easily met in this case because the law provides that damages are assumed when disparaging a profession, such as the practice of law. "Statements relating to attorneys impute business misconduct and are slanderous per se where they tend to show a lack of character or a total disregard of professional ethics, or where they accuse an attorney of unprofessional conduct." 50 American Jurisprudence, Second Edition, Libel and Slander S 213.

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