Correct, he lost a civil suit. If what he said was consitutionally protected and he was in fact not the person to do the actual beating, why he be found responsible for anything at all?
Good question. Morris Dees managed to convince a civil jury that Metzger was responsible, that's all. I don't agree with this kind of verdict, since it bypasses the criminal courts and criminalizes conduct that is not otherwise illegal. Metzger is scum but murder is a criminal offense and should be judged under criminal law; laws under which he was not guilty of anything. We should think twice before we cheer verdicts like this and the O.J. Simpson civil suit.