BYU professor Benjamin Abbott has been named in a lawsuit alleging him of making defamatory statements while engaged in an effort to stop the development of Utah Lake.
The suit, filed by Lake Restoration Solutions on Jan. 10, states that in his criticism of the Utah Lake Restoration Project, Abbott knowingly made false claims to sway public opinion.
Lake Restoration Solutions is seeking at least $3 million in damages for defamation, false light and “intentional interference with prospective economic relations.” If they win, the recovered damages will be donated to environmental conservation non-profits, according to the civil complaint.
“While Lake Restoration welcomes fulsome, fact-based discussion of the Project (about which Lake Restoration has repeatedly invited public feedback), Abbott is not entitled to poison the debate with his false and defamatory statements,” the document says.
The project in question contains plans to dredge the floor of Utah Lake and construct, with the excavated material, several large islands that will serve residential as well as recreational and conservational purposes.
Since the project was made public in 2017, Abbott has been a vocal critic, arguing the plan is likely to cause more harm than good and posting similar claims on his blog and social media accounts.
For Abbott, who felt he was doing his duty as a concerned citizen and professor of ecosystem ecology, the lawsuit came as a surprise.
“I really was shocked to receive the lawsuit,...
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