Edward Teach drops defamation lawsuit after defendant apology

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Edward Teach Brewery has dropped a defamation lawsuit after the defendant issued an apology. 

The lawsuit alleged that a former employee—Erik Peterson—was putting QR codes on the brewery’s products in local stores.  

The QR code linked to a Facebook page with the alleged defamatory statements about the brewery and its owner Gary Sholar 

Peterson issued an apology to the brewery and admitted that he was behind the tampering.  

Sholar’s attorney, Thomas Varnum, released the brewery’s response to WWAY which reads: 

“We accept and appreciate Mr. Peterson’s apology. We know that, like many others, he was misled by Madonna Nash’s false and defamatory Facebook posts. This incident has damaged our business and hurt our employees and their families. We hope it makes everyone think twice about believing unverified accusations online.”