Los Gatos Town Council member Maria Ristow and Vice Mayor Rob Moore denied the allegations of defamation against them by far-right activist Lynley Kerr Hogan in documents filed last month.

Hogan alleged in a lawsuit filed on Nov. 14 of last year that Ristow, Moore and Los Gatos Democracy Tent moderator Lee Fagot conspired to defame her and keep her from attending the regular meetings of the discussion group. In an answer to Hogan’s complaint filed on Dec. 19, attorneys representing Ristow and Moore denied all of the allegations, requesting the lawsuit be dismissed and that Ristow and Moore be awarded costs incurred.

Fagot, who was also named as a defendant in Hogan’s lawsuit, similarly responded to the lawsuit on Dec. 13, requesting dismissal and saying, “No cause of action against defendant Fagot in this complaint is valid.”

Hogan alleged in her suit that Moore and Ristow defamed her to Fagot in saying that Hogan went to a town council meeting and threatened to kill someone, and that Fagot defamed her by making a similar statement. She alleges that the three violated her First Amendment rights, in intentionally excluding her from Democracy Tent’s weekly public meetings and intentionally causing her “emotional distress.”

Hogan had been part of a far-right group that disrupted several town council meetings in 2021, and espoused anti-LGBTQ rhetoric during the public comment period of town council meetings in 2024.

Ristow and Moore’s response to the lawsuit calls the statements Hogan alleges to be defamatory “truthful statements of fact” or “non-actionable statements of opinion.” The response comes after the council in a special closed session meeting on Dec. 3 authorized defense for Moore and Ristow.

Fagot’s response states that since the Los Gatos Democracy Tent is not affiliated with the government, it is not subject to First Amendment rights obligations. It also denies that Fagot made any defaming comments about Hogan.

Hogan’s lawsuit sought damages in excess of $35,000. Her “demand for punitive damages fails to state sufficient facts to constitute a basis upon which relief can be granted,” Ristow and Moore’s response reads.

It was close, though!

The Milwaukee Brewers took at a no-hitter into the 7th inning against the Cincinnati Reds on Friday night, with Gavin Lux eventually smacking a 2-out single into CF to keep that measure of futility off their ledger for the time being.

The Reds, you’ll recall, entered play on Friday having lost a trio of consecutive games by the score of 1-0, their shutout streak in single-run games the first such instance in Major League Baseball history since the 1960 Philadelphia Phillies. They even ran that to some 35 innings during Friday’s game...

...but the Reds scored a run on Friday! Two, even! An 8th inning rally saw Christian Encarnacion-Strand launch a deep fly ball to the warning track in left-center to plate a run via sac fly while Jeimer Candelario followed with an RBI-single down the RF line. That cut into an existing 3-0 Milwaukee lead, leaving the Reds trailing 3-2 with the 9th inning left to play.

Was there a run-scoring inning streak to be found in the 9th?

No.

Reds lost, 3-2, and fell to 2-6 on the season - once again tied for last place in the National League Central.

Tony Graphanino

Box score & WPA chart via FanGraphs

Other Notes

• Numerous members of the team’s coaching staff were sent back to the team hotel in Milwaukee prior to the game tonight due to illness, including manager Terry Francona. Matt McLain was also a late scratch with a ‘hamstring’ issue, though he did show up in the 9th inning for a pinch-hit appearance (thankfully).
• Saturday’s matchup between these two clubs will feature Brady Singer and Elvin Rodriguez starting for their respective clubs, with first pitch set for 7:10 PM ET. It’ll be on FanDuel Sports Ohio, but it’s also being broadcast on FS1 nationally.
• Tunes.