Share May 06, 2021, 7:39 AM In what one hopes is the final chapter in the strange saga of former Rep. Todd Courser's political career, The Detroit News prevailed in his defamation lawsuit against the paper, and will collect $20,000. Editor Gary Miles said the money would be donated to the Rosa Parks Scholarship Foundation. Ex-Rep. Todd Courser (Photo: Fox 2) The case has its roots in Courser's downfall in 2015. That's when the paper first broke the story that the Lapeer Republican had asked his staff to spread a rumor that Courser was partying in Lansing gay bars. His apparent aim was to start an outrageous story circulating in hopes that when true rumors began to circulate -- that Courser was having an affair with his fellow Tea Party darling Cindy Gamrat -- that he could easily dismiss both. Courser, on audio recordings obtained by the paper, called the strategy a "controlled burn."