Slander vs. Libel
Slander is a false statement that is not written. It is said out-loud, not printed.
Libel is a false statement that is made in writing.
The unwavering commitment to facts by Truth and Accuracy Matter has struck a nerve with Mayor Dennington and her supporters. They have fallen to a new low by making slanderous remarks and libelous accusations about Truth and Accuracy Matter LLC during Town Commission meetings, on social media, and sadly… by repeating untruths through gossip around town. Their continuous attempts to mislead town residents away from the truth is contemptuous.
However, they can’t hide from the truth when the facts are so easy to reveal.
Kate Wilborn, a resident of the town, is apparently unhappy because TruthandAccuracyMatter.org reported on the allegations she made about the former Town Manager back in June 2025. In a post on the social media platform, Nextdoor, Wilborn’s statements were false and potentially defamatory. This is a classic example of libel. To read the article, CLICK HERE
Almost a year later, at the Commission meeting on April 15th, Kate Wilborn stood at the podium to slander our LLC, Truth and Accuracy Matter, during public comment, stating, “this LLC (i.e. Truth and Accuracy Matter) is slandering residents that try to volunteer.” Her comments can be viewed on YouTube at minute 13:47. CLICK HERE
Truth and Accuracy Matter relies on FACTS that are backed up with documentation.
For our new readers, here is a little background on Truth and Accuracy Matter:
In 2025, a group of concerned residents founded Truth and Accuracy Matter LLC out of frustration with the misinformation being spread about our town. Seeking a trustworthy source of factual information, we established a citizens’ activist group. We made the intentional decision to register as a Political Action Committee (PAC) to ensure that records of our organization are transparent and accessible to the public. All required reports are submitted to the Town of Melbourne Beach.
Truth and Accuracy Matter LLC operates entirely on a volunteer basis — comprising of former town commissioners, including a former vice mayor, current and past committee and board members, individuals who organize food drives, neighbors who value and appreciate our town staff, families who participate in community events, and folks who simply want to protect the town we love. We give countless hours to the community we live in because we truly care about our town!
Truth and Accuracy Matter LLC openly and proudly, supported candidates Terry Cronin and Sherri Quarrie in our Town’s 2025 election. We volunteered, walked neighborhoods, shared factual information, put signs in our yards, and some of us donated small amounts of money to their campaigns. Cronin and Quarrie won overwhelmingly with a landslide number of votes. This is how democracy looks when neighbors get involved to present the truth accurately.
Below are examples of slander from Mayor Dennington at the April 15th RTCM:
Joyce Barton, the former vice mayor of the town, spoke during the public comment section to discuss the recent trial involving the Denningtons’ LLC, Funoe and the Town of Melbourne Beach. She highlighted that a protection order had been issued for former police chief Melanie Griswold, which postponed her testimony on the day of the trial. This order was signed by Judge Samuel Bookhardt III on April 1, 2026. See attached order HERE
Before Barton could return to her seat, Mayor Dennington aggressively asserted that Griswold did not have a protection order against her. This statement was misleading and seemed intended to convince residents that she and her husband, Dr. Lephiew Dennington, are distinct from Funoe LLC. CLICK HERE to read the article, AliD is Funoe.
Furthermore, Mayor Dennington went on to make slanderous comments suggesting that Griswold was concerned about some past convictions not being made public. See YouTube replay at the 19:30 minute mark. Not only is that claim false, it illustrates why the Protection Order was granted; refer to the final comments of the signed order. CLICK HERE
Later in the meeting, long-time resident Jason Judge approached the Town Commission during public comment to express his support for town staff. However, as he neared the podium, Mayor Dennington harassed him verbally by loudly and repeatedly accusing him of threatening her children and shouted "Don’t threaten my kids again!" See YouTube replay at the 1:56:47 minute mark. Note: It was previously confirmed by Town Attorney Ryan Knight, Police Chief Tim Zander and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement that Mr. Judge NEVER threatened Dennington’s children as she claimed.
To see more examples of libel, all you have to do is look at Nextdoor for Joanie Shepherd, aka: Joanie Shep and Joanie S.
Ms. Shepherd creates posts under three different names on Nextdoor. This is, in and of itself, a huge red flag for credibility. Multiple accounts are obvious indications of deception.
Post taken from Nextdoor
The ONLY factual statement in this post by Joanie is that she posted it on Good Friday.
The Facts Are:
Truth and Accuracy Matter never did a “massive text blast full of misinformation laced with hatred to hundreds of personal numbers” as Ms. Shepherd asserts. This is a false statement in writing; the basic definition of libel. Our email membership list is private and not shared with anyone. There are people in town who have provided phone numbers to us and asked us to share our articles with their friends. There may be eight or so people who have received phone texts directly from us. If you are one of those people and you do not want to receive our articles, please just text back “stop” or feel free to block us.
The DOGE report and the JLAC report are two different things. Ms. Shepherd is clearly confused or she is purposely trying to mislead her readers by making false statements about TAAM. The final DOGE report was released by the Governor’s office in January 2026. CLICK HERE: for the article and report. Truth and Accuracy Matter is fully aware that the JLAC report is not yet complete and is expected to be finished at the end of the summer 2026.
In Ms. Shepherd’s post she writes, “But hey, what do facts matter when this is coming from your future mayor-elect…” While her statement may not be libelous, she is misinformed about the “mayor-elect” and spreading gossip on Nextdoor. Spoiler Alert: Truth and Accuracy Matter is looking forward to announcing the mayoral candidate that we will be supporting in the upcoming November election. So please stay tuned!
Ms. Shepherd makes several claims in this next Nextdoor post in an attempt to undermine the facts of the recent Funoe LLC vs Town of Melbourne Beach trial proceedings:
The Facts Are:
Truth and Accuracy Matter agrees with the majority of our Town Commission who formally asked Mayor Dennington to drop Funoe’s lawsuit against the Town.
While Ms. Shepherd claims that the moment of a resolution is passed, the fact is that this lawsuit could still be dropped by the Plaintiff, and mediation could also resume at any time during the court trial, as in any case in Florida.
Ms. Shepherd states, “The claim that a former police chief obtained a restraining order against the plaintiff is simply not true.” Again, Ms. Shepherd is wrong. The PROTECTIVE order was granted for former Police Chief Griswold. Note: A restraining order and protective order are two totally different things.
Also falsely stated, Ms. Shepherd writes, “The order was to prevent damaging information to be revealed about the previous chief.” Again, this is pure libel. Former Chief Griswold’s attorney’s request for the Protective Order was very specific and did NOT have anything to do with the reasons both Shepherd and Dennington claim. CLICK HERE and HERE
The truth is right in front of our eyes. The link to the specifics of the case and all of the legal filings are on the Brevard County Clerk of Courts website. CLICK HERE Search for case # 05-2025-CA-023102-XXCA-BC LINK
Truth and Accuracy Matter, along with the vast majority of town residents, find it incomprehensible that our taxes are being wasted on multiple lawsuits initiated by the Denningtons, personally as well as their LLC, Funoe. How does this benefit us as Town residents? The answer is clear; IT DOESN’T.
The financial implications for taxpayers is shocking. Costs incurred by our community have already exceeded $175,000 just for attorney fees alone! And now we face yet another invoice from the town attorney’s law firm exceeding $25,000 just for last month, with more to come…