Former radio shock jock loses bid to beat libel award

The former radio shock jock who became an independent member of Parliament, André Arthur, has lost his bid to have the Supreme Court overturn a $370,000 judgment against him for libelling former Quebec premier Daniel Johnson and his wife Suzanne Marcil.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to review the judgment against Arthur and his former employers, Cogeco and Metromedia.

They were originally ordered to pay $420,000 for comments Arthur made on the air in 1999 and 2000 about Marcil's business affairs.

The Quebec Court of Appeal reduced the amount to $320,000,andthen assessed an additional $50,000 because Arthur repeated the libel after he had been found guilty.

In the last federal election, Arthur scored a major upset by winning as an independent in the riding of Portneuf-Jacques Cartier.

Arthur, 62, has been sued several times and fired from a few jobs. As a rowdy radio host, he has also had his share of run-ins with the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission.

Arthur, also known as King Arthur to his fans, actively courted disenchanted voters during the federal election campaign.