Molly Wetsch Reporter/Report for America Corps Member605-531-7382molly.wetsch@sdnewswatch.orgShareA South Dakota judge has ruled in favor of the American Legion and two media companies in a defamation lawsuit filed by a former Mitchell baseball player. Nexstar Media Group, which owns KELO-TV, and Forum Communications, which owns the Mitchell Republic, were defendants in the case revolving around a sentence in a letter by a representative from the American Legion sent to members of the Mitchell Baseball Association. In November 2024, American Legion adjutant C.P. Van Delist sent the letter to members of the Mitchell Baseball Association saying that Mitchell Baseball would be immediately barred from participating in the American Legion after a rape case involving six players made its way through court. Besides the American Legion, Nexstar and Forum were also named in the lawsuit.