Mazik's first defamation suit. It wasn't Antonio.

By Elizabeth Scheinberg

When news broke last summer that Mount Dora resident Amber Antonio was subject to a defamation suit by Ken Mazik, it rallied a chorus of voices to her support. There is no denying that Mazik appears enjoys the air of infamy and mystery that surround him. Afterall, he really only ever speaks through his attorney and it seems that outside his inner circle of friends, he's rather reclusive.

The Mount Dora Buzz broke the news about the lawsuit in July 2017:

In July, an attorney for Main Street Leasing (MSL) and its owner Ken Mazik, a prominent downtown Mount Dora businessman, sent a missive to a local woman demanding a public apology for critical opinions she expressed. The letter dictated that her apology must include arguably demeaning language about herself in order to avoid a defamation lawsuit. http://www.mountdorabuzz.com/newsworthy/mount-dora-landlord-sues-local-woman

Of course Antonio didn't make a public apology. Who would? Thus the defamation suit was filed. Mazik fulfilled his threat. As of publishing this piece, it's yet to be fully litigated. However, this is not Mazik's first foray into defamation law. A smart fact that was not uncovered by Mazik crusader, Lauren Ritchie, a reporter for the Orlando Sentinel. In his defense Ritchie opined that

It might be best for everyone if the self-described “40-year-old housewife” got off the internet and returned to dusting knick-knacks in her living room... Hopefully, the action will send keyboard cowards scurrying for their lives, leaving real journalists as the last man standing...

While Ritchie cited other instances of such suits in both her news stories and opinion pieces, she missed the one that counts. Everyone missed the one that counts. The FIRST - affectionately headlined by the Delaware Morning News as "Suit is filed by Au Clair School Chief."

The premise behind the legal action was that two former employees of the Au Clair School defamed Mazik and the school when they served as sources for the 1979 News Journal series that laid open the school and its treatment of is residents. Still missing is how this case was resolved. Likely settlement as it doesn't appear to have had a judicial opinion entered into any legal database or print journal. Or perhaps, it was quietly dropped. There is no readily available definitive answer as of now. Happy Reading.