Former President Trump Sued for Defamation Over Calling COVID-19 the “Chinese Virus”
On May 20th, Chinese Americans Civil Rights Coalition, a nonprofit organization, filed a defamation lawsuit against former President Trump both in his former official capacity and as a private citizen for his comments about COVID-19. The complaint includes a list of Trump’s allegedly defamatory statements, including tweets and campaign speeches in which Trump referred to COVID-19 as the “Chinese virus,” “China virus,” “China plague,” and “kung flu.”
MLB Umpire Joe West Hits it Out of the Park with $500,000 Defamation Award
Justice John J. Kelley of the New York Supreme Court, a trial-level court, has awarded Major League Baseball umpire Joe West $500,000 in a defamation lawsuit. West sued former MLB catcher Paul Lo Duca for making defamatory statements during a 2019 podcast show.
New Jersey School District To Pay Teacher $325,000 in Student Yearbook Case
A New Jersey school district agreed to pay $325,000 to a teacher as part of a settlement after the teacher sued the district for emotional distress and imposing an unconstitutional gag order on her speech. She claims the school spread a false story that she altered students' photographs to remove Trump slogans from their clothing.
Texas Supreme Court Says Defamation Suits Against Alex Jones Can Continue
On January 22nd, the Texas Supreme Court rejected conspiracy theorist Alex Jones’ request to toss four defamation lawsuits filed by parents whose children died in the 2012 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School. The suits claim that Jones' statements calling the mass shooting a “giant hoax,” and accusing the parents of faking their children’s death were defamatory and caused the families emotional distress.
Texas Appeals Court Rejects Alex Jones’ Motion to Dismiss Heslin Defamation Suit
The judge has ordered Jones to pay Heslin $22,250 in attorney fees, making the total amount Jones now owes Neil Heslin just under $150,000.
Alex Jones Ordered To Pay $100,000 In Legal Fees In Defamation Lawsuit
On December 20th, a Texas district court judge ordered Alex Jones to pay more than $100,000 in legal fees in a defamation suit brought by the father of one of the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School mass shooting. The defamation suit brought by Neil Heslin is one of several suits filed against Jones by the families who lost children in the school shooting on December 14, 2012.
Neo-Nazi Publisher, Andrew Anglin, Found Liable for Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress
A federal judge ordered Andrew Anglin, the publisher of the neo-Nazi site, the Daily Stormer, and one of his followers to pay over $700,000 to Taylor Dumpson, a black student […]
Federal Judge Finds Neo Nazi Publisher “Acted with Actual Malice”
A federal magistrate judge in Montana found that Andrew Anglin, publisher of Daily Stormer, a white nationalist website, “acted with actual malice” when he shared a Jewish woman’s contact information and instructed his readers to target her.