Category
Defamation
Attorney Mark Bankston questions Alex Jones on the stand during his trial.

Jury: Alex Jones Owes Sandy Hook Couple $45.2 Million with Massive Punitive Damages Award

In a 10-day trial filled with bellicose theatrics, rebukes and grief, the jury in the Alex Jones defamation case decided Friday that Jones owes Sandy Hook parents Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis $45.2 million in punitive damages. 

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Roy Moore and Sacha Baron Cohen

Appeals Court Sides with Comedian Sacha Baron Cohen Against Roy Moore in $95M Defamation Case

A three-judge panel of  the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit affirmed Thursday a lower court ruling that dismissed a long-running defamation suit brought by unsuccessful senatorial candidate and former Alabama Supreme Court Judge Roy Moore against comedian Sacha Baron Cohen.

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Radio host Alex Jones of Infowars talks to the news media as he arrives on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., September 5, 2018.

Judge Fines Alex Jones for Failing to Appear for a Deposition in Sandy Hook Defamation Suit

On March 30th, a Connecticut judge found Infowars host Alex Jones in contempt of court for failing to appear for a deposition in a defamation suit brought by the families of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims. Jones has been sued by several families over his claims that the Sandy Hook shootings were a “giant hoax” and had been staged by the government to undermine the Second Amendment.

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Judge Rules that Smartmatic’s $2.7 Billion Defamation Suit Against Fox News Can Proceed

On March 9th, a New York Supreme Court judge ruled that voting technology company Smartmatic’s $2.7 billion defamation lawsuit against Fox News and Rudy Giuliani can proceed. In his ruling, Judge David Cohen said that Giuliani repeatedly made claims “without any evidence” and “without any basis” that Smartmatic tried to tip the 2020 presidential election in Joe Biden’s favor.

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Jury Dismisses Sarah Palin’s Defamation Claim Against the NY Times

On February 15th, a jury in the District Court for the Southern District of New York, dismissed a defamation lawsuit brought by Sarah Palin, a former governor of Alaska and vice presidential candidate in 2008, against The New York Times. The decision came a day before U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff said that he planned to dismiss the suit if the jury sided with Palin. Rakoff maintained that Palin’s lawyers were unable to prove the newspaper published with “actual malice” when it incorrectly linked her to a mass shooting in a Times editorial. 

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Trial in Palin’s Defamation Suit Against the New York Times Begins

A defamation lawsuit brought by Sarah Palin against the New York Times began on February 3rd. Palin sued the newspaper in 2017 for an editorial that she alleges incorrectly linked her and her political action committee (PAC) to the 2011 mass shooting that left six people dead and 14 people wounded, including Representative Gabby Giffords of Arizona.

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Smartmatic Sues MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell for Defamation

Smartmatic, a voting technology company, sued MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell for defamation on January 18th. The suit, filed in the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota, begins, “Crazy like a fox. Mike Lindell know exactly what he is doing, and it is dangerous.” 

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Freelance Writer Files $1 Million Defamation Suit Against The Atlantic

Ruth Shalit Barrett, a freelance writer who wrote a piece for The Atlantic about how some wealthy parents are pushing their children into niche sports in an attempt to get them into Ivy League schools is suing for defamation. The lawsuit, filed on January 7th in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, claims that The Atlantic and editor Donald Peck, “unlawfully smeared” her and damaged her reputation and career. 

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