New John Rich lawsuit papers ready to be viewed

Okay, I'm getting more and more turned around and confused with this whole John Rich/Jared Ashley soap opera.  I've reported on it several times on the radio and talked about it here on the site a few times and I'm more confused now than I was when I first got all the legal papers, video, and voice mail in my inbox. 

Truth be told, I had gotten the email with all the information like three or four days before I ever posted about it on the site.  I read it and reread everything several times and debated about whether to get involved or not.  I finally just said screw it and posted the information.  Then a radio station in Florida took the information I had posted on my site here, posted it to their site (which still irritates me) and used the information contained in the police report to call Jared Ashley and interview him.  Now his interview from that radio station is the main reason John Rich filed suit against Jared on Monday and I must say that I feel horrible. 

I never meant any harm by posting the stuff I got in my email and in fact almost didn't post it because it was a legal issue and really, who wants to get involved in that?  But in the end I thought it was interesting and went against my gut reaction and posted it anyway. 

What a mess it's all turned into.  Sure, this may have all happened with or without my original blog post, but maybe it wouldn't have.  Now I feel hella guilty.  And come to find out, a lot of the stuff I thought I was reading correctly from the legal papers, police report, etc. I may have actually understood incorrectly and so have probably been talking about half-truths on the radio.  Again I was just trying to bring something I found interesting to the masses, but now I'm feeling a little bad about that.  

Sigh.

A reader pointed out this link here that has the new lawsuit papers filed by John Rich on Monday and I must say that the article the site posted explains things a lot more clearly than anything I've read up-to-date.  You really should check it out if you're as confused as I am about everything. 

I guess maybe the lesson learned is I should stick to the fluff and innocent gossip and leave the legal mumbo jumbo to the lawyers and cops and TMZ.  Who knew that getting a scoop could end up being such a mess?  Makes me wonder if Perez Hilton or TMZ have ever felt guilty about stuff they've posted. 

Update:  A few readers have emailed to give me words of encouragement and I so totally appreciate it, those of you that have written really can't know how much it means to me.  You guys really do rock! 

Just to let you know, I'm now past my earlier feelings of guilt.  This post I wrote earlier was just me expressing some of my self-doubt...self-doubt happens a lot to me.  This just really ended up being an odd day.  I think the main problem I was having wasn't the fact that I had posted legal stuff on my site or that I had talked about it on the radio, it was more the fact that for the first time since I started writing this blog I came to realize that what I write can actually impact a star's life.  That's a strange feeling when you live in podunk Idaho.  I've never really taken myself serious on the site because I'm just here to have fun and entertain and so I've never really considered anything I've done as meaning anything to the stars I write about.  I mean I'm Shannon from Idaho, why would Taylor or Tim McGraw or John Rich care what I have to say?  Well then when I read the legal papers that John Rich filed on Monday and realized that it was directly linked to the radio interview Jared Ashley did and that that radio station got their information from information that was on my site, it hit me like a ton of bricks.  Something that was happening in a celebrity's life today could be directly traced back to something I had written about in the very recent past.  Had I not posted that information, then what was happening today may very well have not happened.  That's an odd feeling. 

I'm not going to change what I do here on the site and I'm not going to alter how I do it, I'm just going to be more aware of the fact that there are more people than just my family and friends reading the site.  I guess self-awareness is a good thing to have.  

Comments

[Bobbi]

Sounds to me as if both these men need to do some growing up. You are in NO way responsible for their actions or reactions. I read your blog faithfully and think you do a terrific job. Keep it up!

[mnkat]

Nashville Gab is the only gossip site I read. You do a great job at just telling us what's going on. It was up to us to decide what we thought. Personally, I am glad that John Rich is firing back. It's the principle of what Ashley did. Why would Ashley go into Rich's bar when so much bad feelings where already there anyway?
Keep up the good writing Shannon!

[Gail]

This whole mess isn't your fault. John and Jared need to get along like adults. Period

[Anon]

Shannon - the story would have got out with or without you. And to all you "haters" - Shannon is just the messenger here. Many artists would kill to get a write up on her site! Jared should have know what he was getting into when he started all this. He was the one who took a private matter and made it public. Nashville is all about money. If Jared's career doesn't pan out for him, it's not because of John Rich. He created this problem for himself. People have been talking crap about JR for years - but, as long as he's making money for his label and his management, he's going to come out on top.

[Shannon]

Oh, thank you George, I focused on the negative and didn't notice your nice comment. I'm over the worry now. I run hot and cold, one minute I question myself, the next I'm back to doing what I love, writing this blog. I'm pretty sure this wont be the last time I write something that ends up in a way I couldn't have imagined.

[Shannon]

Why is it that when I wrote the original post and subsequent posts no one said anything, but the minute I open up and say I'm having second thoughts and feeling bad about this I get attacked? I'm not a TMZ sister company, if I was I wouldn't give a rat's ass about the outcome of what I write.

[George]

Honestly, if public figures can't handle a little heat and little controversy, they should get out of the business. Nashville Gab, you do a great job. Keep it up. Don't let a little mix-up worry you. Things happen.

As for John Rich, if he has to resort to suing poor emerging artists, what does that say about him? If he's that threatened and fragile, he should take what remains of his dignity and retire. That goes for Tobey Keith too! Why are these guys so uptight? Jeez. Music is supposed to be fun, remember? :)

[Ditto]

That will teach you to not ASSUme..because you made an ass of yourself...without full understanding or enough research. You just decided to go with the story and possibly set the stage to harm both of their carreers. Way to go NashvilleGab...or should I say...TMZ sister company...you have just become another of a million trash rags!