The lawsuit an aviation consultant originally filed for $25 million against a Teton County newspaper has been settled under confidential terms, the plaintiff’s lawyer says.
Alleging defamation over a story that didn’t give his name but referenced him as an “abuser” of his son, David Mecartney sued the Jackson Hole News & Guide in federal court on Dec. 3.
The controversy revolved around a May 21 story by a Guide reporter featuring David Mecartney’s son, Dune Mecartney, and Dune’s advocacy effort to give kids “a safe haven” from child abuse.
In an updated version of that story online as of December, the narrative says Dune Mecartney referred to his father as “his abuser.”
According to David Mecartney’s lawsuit, filed by Jason Ochs of Ochs Law Firm, the original version of the story didn’t attribute the label “his abuser” to the son, but treated it instead as an objective fact.
The complaint also says the newspaper did not reach out to David Mecartney for comment before running the story.
Ochs sent Cowboy State Daily a press release Wednesday, announcing the lawsuit had settled — with confidential terms.
“Mr. Mecartney brought this case to restore his good name,” wrote Ochs, who attached a link to a public apology by the Guide.
“We give the News & Guide credit for doing the right thing. Publishing a clear acknowledgment and apology is a meaningful step toward accountability in reporting, especially when accusations this serious are involved.”
The Guide’s apology statement says the story should not have been published, and “failed to meet the standards of verification, fairness, and judgment our readers are entitled to expect.”
Jackson Hole News & Guide editor Johanna Love pointed to the statement in response to a Wednesday request for comment.
Now Suing Ex-Wife, Son
Mecartney is now suing his ex-wife and his son, who is now an adult, in the U.S. District Court for Wyoming.
The father claims his son and ex-wife have both wrongly and publicly cast him as an abuser, despite the Teton County District Court finding a dearth of evidence to that end during their lengthy custody battles.
Mecartney and his ex-wife had ongoing, custody-related matters before the Wyoming Supreme Court as recently as December 2025.
Clair McFarland can be reached at clair@cowboystatedaily.com.
