Springfield man sues lawyer he claims provided Joplin Globe, News-Leader with false information

A Springfield man is suing a lawyer whom he claims provided the Joplin Globe and Springfield News-Leader with false information following a civil suit in Greene County Circuit Court.
It's enough to make Mr. Snappy angry.
Mr. Snappy is the comb that jurors were told Jay Wise of Friendly Ford in Springfield used to reprimand employees who got out of line. According to Jeff Lehr's article in the Dec. 23 Joplin Globe, Mark Bodine, the attorney for the plaintiffs, told Lehr that his client, Chris Ames, and others had testified that Wise liked to "thwack" employees on the ears with Mr. Snappy and he also "was fond of striking Ames and other male salesmen in the truck division of the dealership with a backhand to their genitals."
The information in the Globe story, and apparently information in articles printed in the Springfield News-Leader and Springfield Business Journal, came from Bodine, a partner in the Shawnee, Kan., law firm of Bennett, Bodine and Waters, PA. Lehr's article indicates Bodine gave him the information in a telephone interview.
Wise claims that Bodine provided incorrect information in that interview and in the others given to various media outlets. "Throughout 2001 and continuing into 2006, in the course of representing clients," the lawsuit says, "Bodine falsely and maliciously reported to third persons that Wise engaged in unlawful conduct, namely assault and battery with male employees of FFI, (and) had sexually harassed male employees of FFI, had sexually battered male employees of FFI."
Wise says Bodine's statements "exposed (him) to hatred, contempt and ridicule" in Springfield.
"Co-workers, friends and business associates of Wise heard and read the slanderous and defamatory statements when they were published.."
Another problem, Wise said, were statements such as the one given by Bodine to Lehr that Wise had settled with four of the people who were suing him. "Bodine made other false and misleading statements in the press to further embellish the false and defamatory statements and to give the false impression that Wise had settled four civil suits for assault, battery, sexual harassment and sexual battery when in truth and fact he had not."
Wise claims he has lost income, suffered emotional distress, loss of sleep and loss of reputation. He is seeking more than $75,000, according to the lawsuit.
In the Greene County lawsuit, the jury found in favor of Ames and awarded him in $65,000. It did not find Friendly Ford liable and did not assess punitive damages against Wise.