A Superior Court judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed against the Bangor Daily News by a Maine man convicted of fraudulently obtaining a Paycheck Protection Program loan.
Nathan Reardon, 44, of Skowhegan and Plymouth pleaded guilty in July to five counts of bank fraud in U.S. District Court in Bangor. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 2 for obtaining a $60,000 Paycheck Protection Program loan in 2020 by falsifying information about payroll for his business.
The loans were intended in the early days of the pandemic to allow businesses to pay employees affected by the widespread shutdowns to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
Acting as his own attorney, Reardon sued the BDN in April in Penobscot County Superior Court alleging that he had been defamed in stories about his legal troubles, his businesses and his strained relationships with tenants.
Superior Court Justice William Anderson dismissed the lawsuit on Oct. 14, but that document was not made public until Thursday. The judge said that Reardon would not be entitled to damages under any legal theory.
Anderson dismissed the lawsuit with prejudice, meaning that Reardon can’t sue the newspaper again on the same grounds. However, he can appeal the decision.
In December, Reardon sued the U.S. government for an alleged violation of his Second Amendment rights, the parent company of News Center Maine for defamation and slander and Lowe’s Home Improvement for an injury he claims he suffered two years ago while checking out. Only the lawsuit against Lowe’s still is pending.
