Dr. Laura's Messy Fight

11/27/1998 at 12:00 AM EST

Radio personality Dr. Laura Schlessinger's $1.1 million slander lawsuit against a Southern California surf shop owner has been thrown out of court. Dr. Laura sued Tom Moore of Newport Beach after he called her a liar following her on-air allegation that he put pornography on his store's racks in front of children. An Orange County judge dismissed the case Wednesday, citing a state law that allows a person to exercise freedom of speech regarding a public concern. "When false and injurious statements are made about you on the radio, it is fair to set the record straight and deny those statements without being attacked," said Moore's attorney, Paul Rafferty. Moore has filed a $4 million counter-lawsuit, alleging Schlessinger painted him in a false light and intentionally harmed his business.