USA Today’s Tax Services Provider Ryan Sues for Defamation

Ryan Alleges the Newspaper Also Committed Fraud, Reported Falsehoods, Hid Its Relationship

Ryan, a leading global tax services and software provider, announced that it has filed a lawsuit against its former client, USA Today. After Ryan had saved Gannett Co., Inc., the parent company of USA Today, more than $2 million in taxes, the lawsuit alleges that Gannett committed fraud and unlawfully pocketed some of Ryan’s fees. USA Today misrepresented Ryan’s business to USA Today’s readers. This was all while concealing Gannett’s business relationship with its tax services provider.

Key Points from the Petition

• USA Today concealed and distorted facts that show that Ryan works in strict accordance with the law and that courts have ruled in Ryan’s favor on tax refunds that USA Today falsely claimed were frivolous and corrupt.
• Ryan tried to work with USA Today for months to correct the record, with no relief.
• The lawsuit seeks to set the record straight; recover significant lost profits that Ryan has and will incur because of USA Today’s defamatory statements; and hold the newspaper accountable for its willful, malicious, and unlawful conduct.
• USA Today has committed demonstrable violations against its own “Principles of Ethical Conduct for Newsrooms” by disregarding sound journalistic principles to a global online audience through its defamatory multimedia campaign against Ryan.

Ryan Comment

“We could not sit idly by and allow a major news organization to misrepresent our business,” said Ryan Chairman and CEO G. Brint Ryan. “We are exceptionally proud of the legitimate tax savings we’ve secured for our global clients, including USA Today’s parent company, Gannett Co., Inc.”

It is critical to note that—despite USA Today’s misleading and defamatory statements—Ryan has not engaged in any misconduct and has, in fact, conducted its business with the highest ethical and legal standards. To suggest otherwise is factually and legally incorrect.

About Ryan

Ryan, an award-winning global tax services and software provider, is the largest Firm in the world dedicated exclusively to business taxes. With global headquarters in Dallas, Texas, the Firm provides an integrated suite of federal, state, local, and international tax services on a multijurisdictional basis, including tax recovery, consulting, advocacy, compliance, and technology services. Ryan is a 10-time recipient of the International Service Excellence Award from the Customer Service Institute of America (CSIA) for its commitment to world-class client service. Empowered by the dynamic myRyan work environment, which is widely recognized as the most innovative in the tax services industry, Ryan’s multidisciplinary team of more than 3,500 professionals and associates serves over 18,000 clients in more than 60 countries, including many of the world’s most prominent Global 5000 companies. More information about Ryan can be found at ryan.com. “Ryan” and “Firm” refer to the global organizational network and may refer to one or more of the member firms of Ryan International, each of which is a separate legal entity.

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