Jelly v. Dabney

Darrell W. Jelly, hereinafter referred to as Jelly, the apparently successful participant in a barroom brawl in Sheridan County, Wyoming, appeals to this court from the judgment of the district court of that county awarding money damages to Bill Arnold Dabney, his defeated adversary in a barroom fracas, and denying Jellys counterclaim for defamation. In asking dismissal of the claim against him, Jelly would have us ignore our long-standing rule permitting the trial court to be the arbiter of the facts and hold as a matter of law that the badly beaten Dabney was the aggressor. We elect not to do so, and will affirm the judgment, both as to the award of damages and as to the denial to Jelly of his slander claim.