TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — A jury has found Bubba the Love Sponge Clem not guilty of defamation.

The jury deliberated for three hours Wednesday. Radio disc jockey Todd “MJ” Schnitt filed the suit, claiming Clem’s on-air statements about Schnitt and his wife, Michelle, were injurious.

Schnitt claimed that Clem and his Bubba Radio Network defamed the Schnitts and incited Clem’s fans, known as “Bubba’s Army,” to harass the family.

Clem has testified that the statements outlined in Schnitt’s lawsuit were opinion, hyperbole, satire and directed toward a public figure, and therefore protected by the First Amendment.

The judge had previously dismissed five charges against Clem in the case.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.