The Bolinas Hearsay News has been published three times weekly since its founding in 1974. It’s a community bulletin board assembled by volunteers, offering a venue for the voices of Bolinas.

Unfortunately, the Hearsay, as well as six individuals and the Bolinas Community Center, have been named as defendants in a lawsuit brought by Cheryl Ruggiero, for “defamation and related torts” arising from two letters printed in the Hearsay in August 2024.

The defendants named in the lawsuit are Bolinas Hearsay News, Jose Leyva, Nicole Lavelle, Jeff Manson, Wiley Laufman, Kathleen O’Neill, Michael Rafferty, Steve Helig, and The Bolinas Community Center.

If you desire more context about this particular matter, please see the Point Reyes Light article from October 2, 2024.

Although we feel confident that this complaint is without merit, legal action is expensive, and court fees and associated legal-council costs are already piling up. As many of you know, the Hearsay operates on a less-than-a-shoestring budget, as do many of the community-minded volunteers named above.

We need your financial support at this moment.

All funds raised will go directly to our lawyer, Jack Siedman, who will hold them in a client trust account and maintain detailed records.

We will share updates here, as well as in the pages of the Hearsay, as this matter progresses.

We thank you for your ongoing support,

Nicole Lavelle, on behalf of Bolinas Hearsay News, et al.