Partners Drew Beal and Milinda Brown Secure $4.5 Million Verdict Against Lin Wood in Defamation Case
Following a week-long trial in federal court, Lin Wood has been ordered to pay $4.5 million to three former law partners after being found liable for defamation stemming from accusations made on Telegram, where he labeled his former partners as "criminal extortionists." This is the second-largest reported defamation verdict in the state of Georgia.
The dispute began in February 2020 over the terms of their departure from Wood’s firm and escalated into a federal lawsuit filed in March 2022. Despite multiple failed agreements and legal threats, Wood's continued disparagement of his ex-colleagues–represented by partners Drew Beal and Milinda Brown–led to the significant jury verdict.
“We are extremely pleased with this verdict,” partner Drew Beal told Law&Crime. “It shows that the jury really understood the suffering that the Plaintiffs went through from this defamation. Now, we look forward to concentrating on the main case against Lin in Fulton Superior Court.”