A federal judge has dismissed a suit filed by an NCAA basketball official against Kentucky Sports Radio.

The lawsuit alleged KSR, its founder Matt Jones and contributor Drew Franklin harmed referee John Higgins' family and his business by sharing his personal and business information online and on radio broadcasts after Kentucky's Elite Eight loss to North Carolina in the 2017 NCAA Tournament.

The foul calling in the game enraged Kentucky basketball fans, and Higgins alleged he received death threats.

But in his ruling, Senior U.S. District Judge Joseph Hood granted a motion to dismiss the case on Wednesday, saying KSR's speech was protected under the First Amendment.

He said while Higgins' frustration is understandable and the damages real, "in some instances the First Amendment to the United States Constitution provides special protection to speech on matters of public concern, even if that speech is revolting and upsetting,” the judge wrote.

Background:KSR lawsuit may not be 'frivolous.' But experts disagree over referee's chance of winning

Higgins was part of a three-person officiating crew for the game, in which there were 19 fouls called on the Wildcats, with four Kentucky starters called for two fouls each in the first half, and 18 on the Tar Heels.

"You know, it's amazing that we were in that game where they practically fouled out my team," Kentucky coach John Calipari said after the game. "Amazing that we had a chance."

Following the game, Higgins' home in Nebraska was bombarded with thousands of calls, and he received death threats from fans. The social media pages for his business, Weatherguard, were bombarded with negative comments, tanking its online rating.

According to the suit, Jones and Franklin made multiple references on radio and online about Higgins, his business and the fan comments.

The lawsuit alleged, in part, infliction of emotional distress, invasion of privacy, harassment and tortious interference with a business.

The defendants argued they weren’t responsible for the actions of “unknown third parties” who harassed Higgins.

The suit was first filed in October 2017 in U.S. District Court in Nebraska and later moved to the Eastern District of Kentucky.

The suit sought damages in excess of $75,000.

In a tweet Wednesday, Jones wrote, “I am pleased that the Federal Judge recognized that KSR, Drew and I are not responsible for any actions that third parties may have taken against Mr Higgins.”

Read this:U of L doesn't spend as much as UK to recruit athletes — and the gap is growing

Indeed, the judge wrote that to hold the defendants "responsible for these third-party actions would potentially quell open debate and commentary on public events and issues.”

Hood found that the outcome of the game was clearly of public concern and fans' outrage was part of the postgame news story, which was covered by KSR.

Still, the judge acknowledged “the real problem” of cyberbullying and that there was “no doubt” the Higgins family was harmed.

“This opinion does not indicate that the Court condones or approves of the actions of the Defendants,” Hood wrote. “Again, whether the Defendants acted badly based on general principles of common decency and journalistic ethics was not an appropriate consideration for this Court.”

And while he dismissed the case, Hood said Higgins wasn’t helpless.

He noted that no ruling was made on the issue of defamation, as it wasn’t raised by the plaintiffs in the suit.

The judge also stressed his ruling was "narrow" and doesn’t extend protection to all speech on matters of public concern. Hood wrote his ruling doesn’t prevent the plaintiffs from suing those who harassed them.

“Here, there is no doubt that some of the fans and third-parties crossed the line of both common decency and are potentially open to civil liability for their actions.”

Related: Higgins' attorneys say fair trial in KSR lawsuit 'virtually impossible' in Kentucky

Reporter Matthew Glowicki can be reached at 502-582-4989 or mglowicki@courier-journal.com. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: courier-journal.com/mattg.