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Joseph Soldwedel: Publisher drops $18M suit against ex after years of poisoning claim

Arizona publisher who accused his ex of poisoning him drops lawsuit ahead of trial, cites age as the reason in dramatic saga
UPDATED SEP 2, 2021
Joseph Soldwedel has dropped his lawsuit (Screenshot from YouTube)
Joseph Soldwedel has dropped his lawsuit (Screenshot from YouTube)

Joseph Soldwedel, an award-winning news publisher in Arizona has decided to drop an $18M lawsuit against his ex-wife Felice Aspiranti. It's far from an ordinary case though because, for years, Soldwedel used his newspapers to claim Aspiranti poisoned him, a claim that even prosecutors have said has little merit. After languishing in courts for nearly three years, the case was due to go to trial in the first week of September, but shockingly Soldwedel dropped it just weeks before.

The dramatic and controversial case is tied to the duo's divorce trial, due to be heard in February 2022. It's certainly one to keep an eye on, as dramatic divorce trials seem to be all too frequent these days. In August, baseball star Ben Zobrist and Julianne's divorce trial began, another one mired in controversy. In late July, we also reported on the bizarre kidnapping plot by Louisiana millionaire Lawrence Handley, who tried to have his ex-wife kidnapped but was caught after the kidnappers drowned. 

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Back in January 2020, we reported on another odd divorce trial, in which an Iowa man requested a trial by combat with actual swords. Luckily, in the case of Soldwedel and Aspiranti no such bizarre requests were made. Nonetheless, it is gaining a lot of attention for possibly violating journalism ethics. To add to that, there's the poisoning claim, which Soldwedel has been trying to sell for years, but to little avail.

Joseph Soldwedel (Western News and Info Inc.)

Who is Joseph Soldwedel?

Soldwedel is the CEO of Western News and Info Inc (WNI)., a publishing business based in Arizona. The company was started by his father in 1978, who over the years began buying several local publications. Soldwedel was born in Tuscon, Arizona, and spent his entire life in and around the business. As a boy, he delivered the Yuma Daily Sun. In 1970, he graduated from high school and went to attend the United States Internal University at San Diego. In 1974, he graduated with a degree in marketing from the University of Arizona before returning to the family business.

In 1975, Soldwedel became the Publisher of Lake Havasu City (Az.) Herald at just 23. He made his way up the chain to be named President and CEO of WNI in 1987, a position he has held since. In 2001, he won the Arizona Newspapers Association Freedom of Information Award for an investigation into southern Arizona law enforcement and government agencies. Beyond that, he's noted to be an active member of the Yuma community, sitting on several boards and organizations. 

He married Aspiranti in 2010, his third marriage reportedly with a prenup of $900,000 for Aspiranti in case of divorce. Soldwedel is seeking to annul the marriage and invalidate the prenup, which is reportedly why he raised the case of poisoning in the first place. 

Poisoning scandal fades away

In 2016, Soldwedel first began to feel a shortness of breath, headaches, and fever. He initially attributed it to the flu but sent some hair and nail samples to get tested anyway. A Colorado lab noted that the samples tested positive for thallium, six to 15 times higher than normal. A toxicologist indicated Soldwedel may have been poisoned, which led him to request a police investigation in September 2017. At the time, he claimed Aspiranti poisoned his food.

In April 2017, Aspiranti filed for divorce as Soldwedel's allegations continued to become more and more vociferous. In December 2017, Soldwedel used one of his papers to write about the story, without seeking her side and published it. He did not name Aspiranti until her identity became public, but once it did his attacks got extremely vocal. He published ads with an offer for a $10,000 reward if tips led him to the culprit. Sometime later, he published an ad in the Prescott Daily Courier with Aspiranti's name, and photo seeking further information. 

The poster for 'Spiked', a film produced by Joseph Soldwedel based on his poisoning claims. (IMDb)

In October 2017, the police conducted their own test on Soldwedel's samples and found no signs of thallium. They did however find traces of methamphetamine and said that illegal drugs may have been the source of thallium. Subsequently, the Yavapai County DA refused to file charges against Aspiranti. That led to the lawsuit in 2018, where Soldwedel wanted $18million for poisoning and $2m in another defamation case.

The trial was due to begin on September 2, but just weeks before Soldwedel dropped the suit. "I convinced myself a few years ago that such a lawsuit, I could achieve closure,'" the 69-year-old said according to The Daily Mail. "But I realized probably within the last year, there's no such thing no matter how it turned out," he added. He said he wanted to focus more on his family and job, and also cited age as a reason. A judge signed off on the deal some time last month, leaving only the divorce trial between the two yet to go ahead. 

The dramatic and bizarre twist has made Soldwedel a well-known person outside of his community, with his case drawing considerable interest. In fact, the case is so famous that it inspired the 2021 indie film 'Spiked' by Juan Martinez Vera, which Soldwedel himself produced. 

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