Closing arguments given in shock jock trial

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Closing arguments were given in the defamation trial of a Tampa-based radio disc jockey who is being sued by another on-air personality.

Attorneys for Todd "MJ" Schnitt told jurors Wednesday that Bubba the Love Sponge Clem defamed Schnitt "out of sheer hatred." Clem's lawyer countered by saying that "context is everything."

The jury prepared to deliberate on whether Clem's on-air statements about Schnitt and his wife, Michelle, were injurious.

Schnitt filed the suit, claiming Clem and his Bubba Radio Network defamed the Schnitts and incited Clem's fans, known as "Bubba's Army," to harass the family.

Clem has testified that the statements outlined in Schnitt's lawsuit were opinion, hyperbole, satire and directed toward a public figure, and therefore protected by the First Amendment.

The trial is in its third week.