Nearly eight months before a Burke County Grand Jury indicted him on felony charges of fraud and embezzlement, former Morganton resident and Florida entertainment producer Stanley Travis Stancil filed a sweeping civil lawsuit accusing The Paper, local event organizers, and other production companies of conspiring to destroy his business and reputation.
In a 48-page verified complaint filed on Feb. 10, 2025, in Burke County Superior Court, Stancil and his company Stance Productions, LLC claim they were defamed and financially sabotaged following the collapse of two high-profile charity events, “Dancing with the Burke Stars” and “Dancing with the Catawba Valley Stars”
The suit named The Paper and its parent company, Morganton Media Group, LLC, Debra H. Benfield, Kristie N. Anderson, FC Presents, LLC, and Carlos Foster alleging “libel, slander, breach of contract, conversion, and unfair trade practices,” and demanded more than $25,000 in damages.
Stancil’s attorney demanded a retraction from The Paper to stories written in the Spring of 2024 about the Dancing With the Stars controversy. Accounts in those stories, the lawsuit claimed, were “false, malicious, and defamatory,” arguing that The Paper’s reporting “wrongly implied that Stancil and his company engaged in criminal or unethical behavior.”
The Paper, through its attorneys, replied, “We categorically deny your claims… and are prepared to vigorously defend The Paper against any litigation should your clients choose to proceed.”
Most defendants, including The Paper, have been voluntarily dismissed.
On Oct. 8, 2025, a Burke County Grand Jury returned a True Bill of Indictment charging Stancil himself with six felony counts related to those same events.
An order for his arrest has been issued. Attempts to reach legal representatives of Stancil have been unsuccessful.
Read the full story in Saturday’s edition of The Paper.
Allen VanNoppen is the publisher. He may be reached at 828-445-8595 orallen@thepaper.media.
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Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.