Part of Pete Rose’s defamation lawsuit against John Dowd has been dismissed

A judge dismissed one count in Pete Rose’s defamation lawsuit against attorney John Dowd on Friday (Dowd initially filed for dismissal in August of 2016), but according to ESPN, Rose’s lawyer insists that this development was a “victory” as the case will proceed regarding the other two counts in question.

Rose originally sued Dowd for defamation, defamation per se, and interference with contract (which has now been dismissed) in regards to various comments he made on radio shows back in 2015, during the same period that the Office of the Commissioner was reconsidering Rose’s lifetime ban from the game. That ban was upheld by Rob Manfred after previously being all but ignored by Bud Selig.

In an email to SB Nation, Rose’s lawyer explained that interference with contract “requires a high standard of intent” and that the judge’s decision was “not totally unexpected, it was a longshot” but that both defamation causes remain ongoing.

At the time of Pete Rose’s initial lifetime ban, John Dowd was MLB’s special counsel and led the investigation into Rose’s gambling habits and ultimately concluded he bet on baseball.

The Hall of Fame reaffirmed their stance on the topic this year, saying,

“After extensive discussion, a vote was taken in which the Board ratified the resolution that was passed on February 4, 1991, known today as Rule 3(E) in the BBWAA’s election rules. As such, anyone deemed permanently ineligible by Major League Baseball, including Pete Rose, may not be considered for election to the Baseball Hall of Fame.”

Rose filed this lawsuit last summer alleging that comments Dowd made during multiple radio hits in 2015 were false and defamatory. During those radio appearances, Dowd made statements such as,

“Michael Bertolini, you know, told us that he not only ran bets but ran young girls down at spring training, ages 12 to 14. Isn’t that lovely? So that’s statutory rape every time you do that.”

and,

“He has Bertolini running young women down in Florida for his satisfaction, so you know he’s just not worthy of consideration or to be part of the game. This is not what we want to be in the game of baseball.”

Michael Bertolini was the memorabilia dealer who revealed details about Rose’s gambling practices in taped conversations, becoming a linchpin in Dowd’s 1989 investigation, however he denies he ever made these specific comments. Furthermore, MLB Commissioner Fay Vincent - in the role at the time of the original investigation - is also denying that such accusations were ever made in the course of the inquiry.

Just this season, the Reds erected a statue in Pete Rose’s honor outside their stadium. He remains the all-time hits leader with 4,256.

July 15, 3:42pm: This article has been updated to reflect the specific charges originally filed in the case and which charge was dismissed.