A defamation lawsuit filed by former South Shore Convention and Visitors Authority CEO Speros Batistatos against Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott over comments on his podcast has been dismissed but can be appealed.
Lake Superior Court Judge Thomas Hallett in a motion for summary judgement filed October 7 said that McDermott and his co-host, Hammond Corporation Attorney Kevin Smith, “had reasonable basis in law and fact” in talking about Speros Batistatos’ SSCVA board management, among other points. Bastistatos filed the lawsuit in August 2025 over comments the two made in 2020 and 2021 on McDermott’s podcast, “Left of Center,” the Post-Tribune previously reported.
“The City of Hammond filed suit against the Authority for declaratory judgment to stop its practice of imposing its own demands upon Board appointments. The Authority entered into an agreed declaratory judgment essentially agreeing it would comply with (state law) with respect to future vacancies and appointments,” Hallett wrote. “Defendants had a reasonable basis in law and fact in making and broadcasting the statements concerning Plaintiff’s management of the Board.”
McDermott’s and Smith’s discussion of Batistatos’ $300,000 compensation was also protected since McDermott obtained the public records confirming the salary and news media reported his compensation package in comparison to that of other mayors, finding Batistatos earned more than all of them, Hallett said in the motion. That the two initially said the $300,000 payment was his salary alone didn’t make that much of a difference, he said.
Additionally, McDermott talking about Batistatos’s “excessive spending” wasn’t untoward because McDermott read directly from Batistatos’ corporate credit card statements, which are public record, Hallett said. What was untoward, Hallett said, was McDermott calling Batistatos unflattering terms like “shady,” “crook,” and “corrupt,” but that didn’t fit the charges, either.
“These types of remarks are certainly obnoxious, and one could argue they have no place in our political discourse. Unfortunately, they are all too common and are not defamatory per se,” Hallett wrote.
McDermott, who didn’t respond to the Post-Tribune for a request for comment, said on his social media that “The best way to discourage the next frivolous lawsuit is to beat the last one.”
“I can’t stop people from filing frivolous lawsuits against me. But once they do, my first priority is winning,” McDermott said in the post. “In my view, Speros Batistatos filed a frivolous lawsuit that cost Hammond taxpayers and LOCPOD (Left of Center podcast) money. We will ask the court to order him to reimburse every penny we spent defending against it.”
In a statement, Batistatos said that while he respects the court and the judicial process, he was “disappointed” in the decision.
“This litigation has followed an unusual procedural path. Earlier in the case, a federal judge considered and denied the defendant’s effort to dismiss my claims. The federal component was subsequently dismissed as the larger, multi-defendant litigation was separated and the various claims proceeded independently,” Batistatos said. “That procedural history matters, and today’s ruling must be considered in that broader legal context.”
Batistatos also said that while he believes deeply in the First Amendment and the public’s right to criticize and express opinions about his public record, words carry a responsibility.
“That principle should hardly be unfamiliar to the defendant,” Bastistatos said. “He has a law degree. His legal training should have taught him that there is a profound difference between opinion and an assertion of fact, and that the words we choose can have consequences. His degree holds him to a higher standard.
“I brought this action because I believe the statements made about me crossed that line. Today’s ruling does not change that belief … Facts matter. Words matter. Reputation matters. And accountability matters.”
Batistatos said he’ll be conferring with his attorneys in the upcoming week to determine his next move.
Batistatos sued the SSCVA in August 2022 — a month after it fired him — alleging it violated the law in the handling of his contract renegotiations due to his age — he was 58 at the time — as well as misspent federal Payroll Protection Plan funds in violation of the CARES Act, a claim the board disputes, the Post-Tribune previously reported. His suit named the SSCVA as well as CVA Board President Andy Qunell and board members Matt Schuffert, Hard Rock Casino general manager; local restaurateur Brent Brashier; Tom Dabertin; and local real estate agent Matt Maloney.
That suit has yet to be resolved.
Michelle L. Quinn is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
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