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John Rich's Legal Woes Continue

The hiatus of Big & Rich may soon end, as previously reported by CountryHound, but John Rich’s 19-month lawsuit with one-time “Nashville Star” contestant Jared Ashley rolls on. Rich sued Ashley in April 2009 for defamation after Ashley accused Rich of punching him in the face. However, the attention has now been aimed toward Chris Sevier, the owner of Ashley’s independent record label, including a great deal of ‘he said-she said’ action.
 
According to Nashville’s Tennessean newspaper, the owner of Sever Records – Chris Sevier – is being accused of asking Ashley, as well as other artists, to falsely accuse Rich in order to better Sevier’s chance of winning a federal lawsuit he brought against Rich in 2008. The case accused Rich of many offenses, such as libel, intentional inflection of emotional distress and copyright infringement. However, it was dismissed in a Nashville court over a year ago.
 
The newest lawsuit was filed by Rich on Nov. 19 against Sevier, "accusing him of malicious prosecution and abuse of process, and seeks unspecified damages,” according to The Boot. Sevier’s response came three days later with a 47-page amended complaint that directly addressed Rich’s current allegations.
 
While the copyright struggle between Rich and Sevier have been ongoing since 2005, the latest legal trouble between Rich and Ashley are fairly new. And while Rich is rumored to be a contestant on the upcoming season of “Celebrity Apprentice,” he is adamant about the legal issues not interfering with his life one bit.
 
"I'm really not scared of anybody other than myself. I'm pretty much the only one who can take me down!" Rich said to The Boot. "I'm going to say the things I want to say. I have never been one to not voice my opinion based on someone not liking it."
 
Source: TheBoot.com