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NORTHAMPTON - A former member of Valley Free Radio's
board of directors has sued the station, its license
holder and three of its members for libel, saying they
painted her as a racist in public statements.

Cathleen Santosus, of 54 Massasoit St., is seeking
$25,000 in damages from each of the defendants.

In her lawsuit, filed Nov. 29, Santosus alleges board
members Noemi Valentin, Cheryl Alexander and Bob
Gardner, said or implied Santosus was racist in
emails, letters read aloud at board meetings and in
interviews given to the Holyoke bilingual newspaper El
Dialogo.

Jeffrey Morneau, the lawyer representing VFR, said in
a telephone interview that the statements Santosus'
lawsuit cites "are a matter of opinion that does not
constitute defamation or libel under the law." He said
he plans to file a motion to dismiss the case.

In a response filed Dec. 19, the Northampton-based
Media Education Foundation also rejected Santosus'
claims that Valentin, Alexander and Gardner's
statements rise to the level of libel or defamation.

The conflict centered around policies discussed by the
board of directors in the fall of 2005. The lawsuit
states "various VFR board members" were "displeased"
with Santosus for questioning its policies and
pressing for the station to be "an accountable
nonprofit organization."

In "retribution" for her actions, the lawsuit claims,
displeased board members defamed her as a racist in
several public statements.

Santosus' lawyer, Patricia Szumowski, said her client
decided to file suit only after attempts at resolution
were ignored by the VFR board.

"You just can't hang somebody like this in public when
they're a volunteer at a community organization,'
Szumowski said.

Santosus could not be reached for comment. Neither
could Valentin nor Alexander.

Gardner declined to comment about the case
specifically, but did say it has already put a strain
on the nonprofit station's finances, given its small
budget and reliance on volunteers.

"Even absent a judgment against the station, it's a
huge burden," he said.

Santosus was asked to resign from the radio station's
board in October 2005, after members of the panel took
a vote of "no confidence" in her. She did not step
down, according to her attorney, but an election
followed that installed an entirely new board.

Shortly before, according to the lawsuit, Valentin and
Alexander wrote emails and read statements at VFR
meetings. In one, they named Santosus, saying her
actions on the board were marked by attempts to "block
anything that has a hint of giving power to people of
color in the organization." Gardner, the lawsuit
alleges, sent an email to Santosus and others saying
she rejected working with people of color.

After the lawsuit was announced to the station's
general membership, 37 VFR members signed a petition
to remove Santosus from Valley Free Radio altogether,
according to meeting minutes from Dec. 20. Although
she's still waiting for something in writing from the
board, Szumowski said, Santosus is now suspended from
volunteer work at the station.

In her lawsuit, Santosus has requested a jury trial. A
case management conference has been scheduled for
April.