Defamation
Nothing New Under the Sun, Here as to Rules That Focus on a Defendant's Being Motivated by Ill Will
"[V]ery agreeable to the theorist, but utterly unfit for the practical purposes of society ...."
Plaintiff's Idaho Murder Libel Claim Continues to Beat Defendant's "Psychic Intuition"
More in Prof. Rebecca Scofield's defamation lawsuit against alleged psychic Ashley Guillard, based on Guillard's accusation that Scofield was involved in the Nov. 2022 murder of four University of Idaho students.
Trump's Actions Contradict His Avowed Commitment to First Amendment Rights
The president has launched a multifaceted crusade against speech that offends him.
Treating Journalism As Consumer Fraud, Trump Claims Coverage of a Presidential Poll Was Not 'News Reporting'
The president's lawyers also conflate fraud with defamation, misconstrue the commercial speech doctrine, and assert that false speech is not constitutionally protected.
Cops Denied Qualified Immunity After Arresting Sober Teenager for DUI
"I blew a zero, so now you're trying to think I smoked weed?” Tayvin Galanakis asked the officer who arrested him in 2022. “That's what's going on. You can't do that, man.”
Federal Judge Tosses Defamation Lawsuit Against NewsGuard
The self-styled watchdog site ranks news outlets' reliability, which has rankled those on both the right and left.
Libel Claims by The Satanic Temple Against Newsweek Over Sexual Abuse Allegations …
thrown out for lack of evidence of "actual malice" (i.e., knowing or reckless falsehood on Newsweek's part).
Mississippi Judge Orders Newspaper To Take Down Editorial Criticizing City Board for Secrecy
Free speech experts say the takedown order is a clear example of unconstitutional prior restraint under the First Amendment.
Smartmatic's Defamation Suit Against Fox Corp. (and Not Just Fox News) Can Go Forward
"[P]laintiffs ... allege[] that ... [Fox Corp.] 'actively participated in, directed, and controlled the publication' of the above defamatory statements composed and broadcast by the other defendants."
Pay Up, Trump
Plus: Biden's last-minute Ukraine cash surge, Tennessee age-verification law blocked, Kentucky man killed by cop who showed up at wrong house, and more…
Given George Stephanopoulos' Carelessness, ABC's Defamation Settlement With Trump Seems Prudent
The host of This Week repeatedly and inaccurately asserted that Trump had been "found liable for rape."
Kash Patel's Threats Against Journalists Make Him an Alarming Choice To Run the FBI
"We're gonna come after the people in the media," the Trump stalwart warns. "Whether it's criminally or civilly, we'll figure that out."
Trump's Legal Complaints Against 2 News Outlets Reflect His Disregard for Freedom of the Press
The Republican presidential candidate argues that CBS and The Washington Post broke the law by covering the election in ways he did not like.
Mark Robinson Files Frivolous Lawsuit Against CNN and a Local Musician
Due to North Carolina's lack of an anti-SLAPP law, the defendants will have to defend themselves in court.
Biden Notes Trump's History of 'Sexual Assault' but Highlights '34 Felonies' That Victimized No One
Facing an opponent who has been credibly described as a sexual predator, Biden instead emphasizes Trump's cover-up of a consensual encounter.
Trump Files Defamation Lawsuit Against ABC for Saying He Was Found Liable for Rape Instead of Sexual Assault
The defamation lawsuit is the latest in Trump's campaign of lawfare against media outlets, but all of those suits have failed so far.
Climate Scientist Michael Mann Wins Defamation Suit Against Mark Steyn and Rand Simberg
The jury found no real damages, but gave a sizeable punitive award that could be challenged on appeal.
Florida Bill Would Make Allegations of Race Discrimination 'Defamation Per Se'
The state Senate bill, which is extremely similar to another House proposal, aims to scrap major First Amendment protections in defamation cases.
'I Relied on Others,' 'Documents Were Filed in the Wrong Place,' and Other Memorable Excuses
The year's highlights in blame shifting.
Giuliani Never Puts Up, but He Never Shuts Up Either
The former Trump lawyer could have avoided a massive defamation verdict by presenting his "definitively clear" evidence of election fraud.
'Everything I Said About Them Is True,' Giuliani Insisted Days Before a Jury Debated His Defamation Debt
The former Trump campaign lawyer re-upped his false claims about two Georgia election workers in the middle of a trial aimed at determining the damages he owes them.
'A Tyranny of the Minority': Why This College Dropout Wants To Cancel Cancel Culture
"Being a true free speech champion does require that you defend speech that even you disagree with," says libertarian Rikki Schlott.
Defamation Lawsuit Against Afroman Filed by Ohio Cops Will Partially Proceed
A judge tossed two of the claims against Afroman, finding that "the issue appears to be the humiliation and outrage that the officers feel at having their likenesses displayed and mocked."
An Iowa Man Published Body Camera Footage From His Arrest. The Cops Are Suing Him for Defamation.
Tayvin Galanakis was arrested last year on suspicion of intoxication, even after a Breathalyzer showed he was sober.
Idaho Man Sued For Defamation After Speaking Out Against Local Airstrip
Critics have argued the legal action is a meritless SLAPP suit.
'Free Speech Absolutist' Elon Musk Threatens Anti-Defamation League With Defamation Lawsuit
Plus: The doubling of the deficit, young Americans souring on college, and more...
Hospital Threatens Defamation Suit Over a 15-Year-Old's Change.org Petition
The hospital baselessly claimed the teenager's mother wrote the petition after she was fired without cause.
Giuliani Admits His Oft-Told Tale of Georgia Election Fraud Was Not True
Unlike calling Trump's stolen-election fantasy "the Big Lie," his lawyer's statements were demonstrably false assertions of fact.
Tucker Carlson Lends Credence to the Stolen-Election Story He Dismissed As a Lie
Eager for the adulation of Trump supporters, the former Fox News host suggests that rigged election software delivered a phony victory to Joe Biden.
The A.I. Defamation Cases Are Here: ChatGPT Sued for Spreading Misinformation
Plus: Age-verification laws threaten our First Amendment right to anonymity, New York bill would set minimum prices for nail services, and more...
8 Reasons Why E. Jean Carroll Won Her Sexual Abuse and Defamation Lawsuit Against Trump
It is not hard to see why the jury concluded that the incident she described probably happened.
What Does Tucker Carlson's Sudden Schism With Fox News Mean?
Plus: Should committed libertarians be opposed to pro-natalist policies?
The Fox/Dominion Settlement Highlights the Importance of Discovery in Proving 'Actual Malice'
Critics argue that excessively strict pleading standards prevent plaintiffs with meritorious defamation claims from obtaining the evidence they need to support them.
The Fox-Dominion Lawsuit Shows That Mike Lee Is Wrong About Defamation
The 1964 Supreme Court decision New York Times Co. v. Sullivan makes it more difficult for public figures to prove defamation—but as we saw this week, not impossible.
The Fox-Dominion Settlement Isn't a Good Argument for Cable News Speech Restrictions
Plus: Graphic novels at forefront of library culture wars, monopoly myths, and more...
In a $788 Million Defamation Settlement, Fox News Admits That It Spread False Claims About Election Fraud
"The truth matters," says Dominion Voting Systems, and "lies have consequences."
Fox News Starts Its Dominion Defamation Trial With Several Strikes Against It
Pretrial rulings recognized the falsity of the election-fraud claims that the outlet aired and rejected three of its defenses.
Conservatives Who Want To Weaken Defamation Standards May Regret Opening That Can of Worms
Contrary to the Supreme Court's First Amendment precedents, Donald Trump thinks harsh criticism of the president should be actionable.
Fox's Excuses Reinforce Dominion's Defamation Case
Although Rupert Murdoch admits that Lou Dobbs and other hosts "endorsed" the "stolen election" narrative, Fox's lawyers insist that is not true.
Where Do We Go To Get Our Mask Apology?
Plus: The editors reveal their favorite issues and articles from the Reason magazine catalog.
Ron DeSantis Wants To Rewrite Defamation Law
"The bill is an aggressive and blatantly unconstitutional attempt to rewrite defamation law in a manner that protects the powerful from criticism by journalists and the public," said one attorney.
Lou Dobbs Is the Main Obstacle to Fox's Defamation Defense
The Fox Business host stood out as a champion of the baroque conspiracy theory that implicated Dominion Voting Systems in election fraud.
Rupert Murdoch Called Trump's Stolen-Election Fantasy 'Really Crazy Stuff.' Fox News Promoted It Anyway.
Hosts and producers privately called Trump lawyer Sidney Powell's claims "complete bs," "insane," and "unbelievably offensive."
A Federal Judge Has Dismissed the Trump Campaign's Defamation Lawsuit Against The Washington Post
The last of the reelection campaign's defamation lawsuits against media outlets looks like it is headed for defeat, like all the others.
She Lost Her Job For Showing a Painting of Muhammad in Class. Now, She's Suing.
"Hamline subjected López Prater to the foregoing adverse actions because . . . she did not conform her conduct to the specific beliefs of a Muslim sect," the lawsuit states.
Why Take Responsibility When You Can Blame Somebody Else?
The year’s highlights in buck passing feature petulant politicians, brazen bureaucrats, careless cops, loony lawyers, and junky journalists.
