A postman who lost his job after being featured in a “Fox Undercover” investigation has slapped WFXT-TV (Ch. 25) with a $500,000 defamation suit.

Aldo Lamberti, a Wakefield father, was among three postal workers included in a Fox 25 piece that alleged the trio were smoking pot and trespassing on school property, according Lamberti’s lawsuit, filed in Middlesex Superior Court.

According to the lawsuit, the WFXT employee, which it does not name, “makes the claim of illegal drug use devoid of any fact,” while adding “unsubstantiated commentary” over TV footage shot “without the permission” of Lamberti or the two other postal workers.

In the lawsuit, attorney Julian Lebeck said the Fox 25 employee “furthered their negligence” when they showed the edited footage to Lamberti’s employer as part of the story.

The employee “willfully misrepresented the facts and/or fictionalized the events” to boost ratings, according to the lawsuit.

After the story aired, the complaint said, Lamberti lost his job and was “ostracized” in his community. The lawsuit says the story was made with “wanton disregard.”

When asked about the lawsuit yesterday, a Fox 25 spokesperson said, “We are aware of the lawsuit.”

Lamberti did not return a message left at his home yesterday. Lebeck did not return a call seeking comment.

source: Boston Herald