DATE: Wednesday, July 30, 1997              TAG: 9707300511

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY MARC DAVIS, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   62 lines

DEFAMATION SUIT AGAINST ROBERTSON DROPPED

The man who once ran Pat Robertson's direct-marketing company, then sued Robertson for defamation in 1995, voluntarily dropped that lawsuit Tuesday, saying he forgives Robertson.

The action by Mark A. Peterson, former president of Robertson's American Sales Corp., which sold vitamins and other health-care products, apparently caught everybody by surprise.

Peterson formally withdrew his lawsuit at a hearing Tuesday in Superior Court in High Point, N.C. Robertson was not at the hearing.

``Mr. Peterson told the judge that he wanted to dismiss his case because of religious convictions and his desire to forgive Pat Robertson,'' said Peterson's attorney, David B. Puryear Jr. of Greensboro.

``It was a very emotional event,'' said David N. Ventker, a Virginia Beach lawyer who represents Robertson.

This was not a conventional out-of-court settlement. Both sides agreed that no money will change hands. Rather, Peterson apparently withdrew his case voluntarily.

Peterson could not be reached for comment. His attorney said Peterson did not want to make a public statement.

Robertson, through a spokesman, said he was pleased with Peterson's action. ``We felt from the beginning that the case had no merit and no basis in fact,'' said spokesman Gene Kapp.

But Peterson's attorney said his client did not drop the case for lack of merit. ``Mr. Peterson told the judge he had full faith and believed his case was true and if it went to trial he would win,'' Puryear said.

Peterson's wife, Andrea Peterson, is proceeding with her part of the same lawsuit, a claim for infliction of emotional distress.

The dispute began in 1992 when Robertson fired Peterson as president of American Sales Corp.

The Petersons sued Robertson and several others, including the Christian Broadcasting Network and Ralph Reed, executive director of the Christian Coalition, in May 1995. They sought unspecified damages.

Peterson claimed that his wife taped a 1994 telephone call in which Robertson allegedly made a veiled threat to her husband, comparing him to a wild stallion.

``If a stallion bites and kicks, he might break his leg,'' Robertson allegedly told Andrea Peterson. ``I've had horses break their legs. When a horse breaks his leg, they put him to sleep.''

Robertson denied saying that.

In turn, Robertson sued Peterson in October 1995 for $1.35 million. He accused Peterson of defaming him in magazine and television interviews. He also accused Peterson of mismanaging American Sales Corp. and misappropriating the company's assets. Robertson dropped that lawsuit last year.

On Tuesday, Peterson told a North Carolina judge that Christians shouldn't sue each other, so he was voluntarily dropping his lawsuit, said Ventker, Robertson's lawyer. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo

Pat Robertson

Photo

Mark Peterson KEYWORDS: LAWSUIT

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