He gained national recognition as a Republican candidate for the Governor of New Jersey in 2024 and was handedly defeated by Jack Ciattarelli, who could gain the role in Tuesday’s election. Now, Townsquare Media talk host Bill Spadea is celebrating a Garden State victory — this time in the courtroom.
A Morris County, N.J. State Superior Court Judge on Friday found that Spadea did not engage in defamation when saying plaintiff Steven Tobias, a child psychologist, should be indicted for child abuse on his morning show, which airs on WKXW-FM “New Jersey 101.5” in Trenton.
Tobias filed the lawsuit against Spadea and Townsquare in September 2022, with October 20, 2025 set as the original trial date in front of Judge Jennifer Mcandrew Vuotto.
Tobias is the Director of the Morristown, N.J.-based Center for Child and Family Development. Appearing on an August 2021 Town Hall segment with host Eric Scott and again in September 2021 with host David Matthau, Tobias spoke of why he believed children should wear face masks to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus at a time when pandemic-era concerns were still heightened in New Jersey.
Spadea reacted on-air during his show by labeling Tobias a “child abuser” and “crackpot” based on the statements he made during the prior appearances.
Townsquare Media allowed this, Tobias clamed, as a ratings booster for Spadea’s wake-up show. Meanwhile, Tobias’ reputation and that of the Center for Child and Family Development was harmed by Spadea’s comments.
Vuotto disagreed, granting summary judgment to Townsquare and Spadea after nearly three years of legal wrangling. In short, Spadea’s comments were deemed opinions and protected speech, which an “ordinary intelligence” listener would not believe to be statements of fact.
