Judge Dismisses Majority of Nunes’ Family’s Defamation Claims Against Esquire Magazine

The judge is asking the family to submit a new complaint based only on whether the family's dairy farm knowingly hired undocumented workers. The new complaint will also have to contain a new argument showing actual malice.

DOJ Looks to Take Over Trump’s Defense in E. Jean Carroll Defamation Lawsuit

The substitution would not only help Trump financially–his defense, including any settlement or damages payout, would be funded using taxpayer money–but would also likely spell the end of the lawsuit. Federal officials are typically given broad protections from lawsuits. 

Federal Judge Rules that Palin’s Defamation Suit Against New York Times Can Proceed to Trial

On August 28th, a federal judge ruled that a defamation suit brought by former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin against The New York Times can proceed to trial.

North Carolina Supreme Court Upholds Defamation Ruling Against Investigative Reporter

In reviewing the case, the North Carolina Supreme Court found that the reporter had omitted important information and mispresented quotes from sources. This, along with other evidence, led the court to conclude that article's false statements had not resulted from "mere negligence" but from a "purposeful avoidance of the truth."

Federal Judge Dismisses Devin Nunes Against Ryan Lizza and Esquire Magazine

In his 48-page opinion, District Judge C.J. Williams ruled that none of the 11 allegedly defamatory statements were grounds for defamation. Some, such as Lizza’s claims that Nunes and his family were keeping a “secret,” Williams dismissed because they were too ambiguous to be actionable.

Ninth Circuit Upholds Dismissal of Stormy Daniels Defamation Claim Against Trump

Though Daniels claimed that Trump’s use of the term “con job” implied that she had committed criminal fraud, the appeals court reasoned that this was only one of a number of possible ways to read the President's tweet. Ultimately, the appeals court ruled the tweet an opinion and, thus, not actionable.

Washington Post and Kentucky Teen Reach Undisclosed Settlement

The Washington Post announced on July 24th that it had reached a settlement with the parents of a Kentucky teenager who sued the newspaper last year over its depiction of an encounter between their son and a Native American activist. A spokesperson for The Post did not disclose the terms of the agreement.

Liberty University Sues The New York Times for Defamation Over COVID-19 Story

A prominent Christian university based in Virginia is suing The New York Times and one of its reporters for an article about the university president’s decision to reopen the college during the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak.