U.S. Supreme Court Denies Donald Watkins Civil Appeal

• By Cason Kirby
• 1 year ago
• Campbell Partners

Matrix, LLC commences collection efforts following the denial of Watkins's appeal, affirming a $1.5 million defamation judgment

The United States Supreme Court last month rejected Donald Watkins’s appeal of Matrix, LLC’s $1.5 million defamation judgment against him, and Matrix has begun collection efforts. On August 20, 2021, the Tuscaloosa County Circuit Court entered a $1.5 million civil judgment against Watkins after Matrix and its principal, Dr. Joseph Perkins, prevailed in proving all five counts of civil defamation for Watkins’s repeated and proven lies about Matrix’s work. In an apparent attempt to build leverage for a settlement, Watkins countersued Matrix and Dr. Perkins in the same lawsuit. Matrix and Dr. Perkins also won a judgment on all of Watkins’s counterclaims.

To delay collections efforts against him, Watkins appealed his lawsuit loss, first to the Alabama Supreme Court and then to the U.S. Supreme Court. Watkins lost both appeals. On February 27, 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court entered an order denying Watkins’s appeal after the Alabama Supreme Court made a similar decision last October. Matrix began efforts to collect on its judgment against Watkins last week. Cason Kirby of Campbell Partners, LLC represented Matrix in the trial court and on appeal.

“The trial court followed the evidence and the law in entering a judgment in Matrix’s favor,” Kirby said. “In characteristic fashion, Watkins then resorted to personal attacks against Dr. Perkins and the court system because he could not defend his own unlawful actions.”

In 2019, Watkins was found guilty in Alabama federal court of seven counts of wire fraud, two counts of bank fraud, and one count of conspiracy for swindling millions from people that trusted him. The victims’ money was used to pay for Watkins’ alimony, hundreds of thousands of dollars in back taxes, personal loan payments, and a private jet.

Watkins was sentenced to five years in the Federal penitentiary and was ordered to pay over $14 million in restitution. Watkins was recently transferred to California where he is set to serve out the remainder of his sentence. The Alabama federal court that convicted Watkins and sentenced him to prison also entered a restitution judgment against him of more than $14 million to compensate Watkins’s victims.

“Unfortunately, like many of Watkins’ victims, Matrix will likely be paid nothing on its hard-won judgment,” Kirby said. “We understand Watkins to be in desperate financial straits, and he is continuing to spew outrageous lies and kooky conspiracy theories to distract from his own considerable troubles. Regardless, we are moving forward with collections efforts against Watkins to hold him accountable for his damaging lies.”

Matrix is an Alabama-based strategic communications firm. Dr. Perkins founded Matrix in 1995 and has expanded its work to serve clients throughout the country.

Campbell Partners, LLC is a Birmingham, Alabama law firm specializing in commercial and complex litigation. Cason Kirby is a partner at the firm, where his practice focuses on business competition issues and disputes.

Additional Information:-

https://www.al.com/news/2023/03/matrix-joe-perkins-start-collections-against-donald-watkins-in-15m-meghan-rondini-defamation-case.html
https://www.al.com/news/birmingham/2019/03/donald-watkins-found-guilty-on-all-counts-son-on-2-in-federal-fraud-trial.html
https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndal/pr/father-and-son-sentenced-prison-multimillion-dollar-investment-fraud-scheme

Cason Kirby
Campbell Partners
cason@campbellpartnerslaw.com