SAN FRANCISCO  –– It's not nice to call someone a "chicken butt" on the air – but it's not slanderous either, a court ruled.

A state appeals court this week dismissed a slander lawsuit filed against a radio station by a former contestant of the Fox television show "Who Wants to Marry a Multimillionaire."

Jennifer Seelig sued KLLC-FM in San Francisco after Vincent Crackhorn, co-host of the "Sarah and Vinnie" morning show, called her a "local loser" and a "chicken butt." He made the comments the day the Fox show aired in February 2000, after Seelig declined an interview with the station.

The Court of Appeal on Tuesday said Seelig had no cause to sue because she had invited media scrutiny when she agreed to appear on the television show. It said Crackhorn's comments were merely an expression of opinion.

The court also ruled Seelig must pay the legal fees of the station and its employees under a state law that penalizes suits that seek to squelch free speech.