Daly Ordered to Pay Legal Fees

No matter how hard he tries, John Daly can't seem to keep his name out of the press for the wrong reasons.

His latest entry came last Friday when Duval County (Fla.) Circuit Judge Hugh Carithers ordered Daly to pay $272,000 in legal fees for his unsuccessful libel lawsuit against The Florida Times-Union.

Daly had filed a lawsuit over former columnist Mike Freeman's statements in a 2005 column. Carithers dismissed the lawsuit in March, ruling that Freeman's statements were either true or a constitutionally protected opinion.

Carithers ordered Daly to pay $263,088 in attorney's fees, plus costs of $8,675.99 and 8 percent interest rate per year until it is paid.

Neither Daly nor representatives of The Florida Times-Union have made a public comment on the ruling.