Ziegler off the hook

A jury in Louisville sided with KFI evening talk guy John Ziegler, ruling that a former TV anchor who he dated then told tales about on the air did not have a case against Ziegler for defamation and invasion of privacy. Darcie Divita said she would appeal, especially after hearing that the jury foreman said the panel had wanted to award her damages to "make him pay for what he said." But it wasn't proven in court that Ziegler had malice toward Divita when he described her physical attributes, undergarments and genital grooming during his show in 2003. She testified last week that Ziegler is an angry sort: "There are not words strong enough for what John Ziegler did to me. He had vengeance and he took it out on me on a 50,000-watt station." But he denied much of what she claimed and said the lawsuit had no merit. After being fired in Louisville, Ziegler showed up at KFI, where he has been noteworthy for being the subject of a long profile in The Atlantic Monthly (and, to my mind, for asking a KFI reporter on election night in March whether anyone celebrating at the Villaraigosa headquarters spoke English.) He broadcast from Louisville during the trial this week.