A U.S. district court has once again sided with the Southern Baptist Convention and other defendants in a suit brought by former SBC President Johnny Hunt. Chief District Judge William L. Campbell Jr., of the Middle District of Tennessee issued Wednesday (August 12) a final summary judgment on the only remaining claim in the case.
RELATED: See more stories on Johnny Hunt case.
Hunt filed the suit against the SBC, its Executive Committee and Guidepost Solutions in March 2023, claiming defamation after he was named in a 2022 report from Guidepost that was based on an investigation into alleged mishandling of sexual abuse claims by the SBC EC. Hunt’s attorneys have not responded to a request for comment.
Campbell had dismissed all other claims in the suit on March 31, 2025. The lone remaining claim regarded a 2022 tweet by then-SBC President Bart Barber that mentioned Hunt, who considered the post defamatory. The court’s determination today hinged on whether Hunt was a public figure and whether the tweet was made with actual malice. Campbell decided Hunt was a public figure “during the relevant time” and that there was no evidence of malice.
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EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Scott Barkley and originally published by Baptist Press.
