"One of the Side Effects of COVID-19 Is Litigation"; and in Litigation, as in Medicine, Delay Can Be Deadly
An appeal a day late (even if not a dollar short). [UPDATE: But there may be a lifesaving treatment!]
Libel
Nicki Minaj v. "Nosey Heaux" Libel Lawsuit
"On information and belief, and as discovery will likely reveal, Green has been acting as a proxy for another performer who, mistakenly believing that she and Plaintiff are stars of equal stature, has repeatedly used other social media intermediaries in a hopeless effort to advance her career at Plaintiff’s expense."
Libel Lawsuit Over Tweet by Prominent Novelist Don Winslow Can Go Forward
Winslow had accused a doctor working on contract with an immigration detention center of "perform[ing] illegal hysterectomies on women at the direction of Trump and [DHS]."
London Libel Lawsuits Punish Truth Tellers
The U.S. shouldn't import British defamation law, no matter how much Donald Trump would like to.
Court: "A Retweet Is Not Necessarily an Endorsement"
This comes in a false light lawsuit by the family of former National Security Advisor Gen. Michael Flynn, whom CNN had labeled “QAnon followers.”
Libel! I Wasn't Accused of Killing Anyone in April -- Only in May
From a libel case filed by accused triple murderer Brice Rhodes
Nicholas Sandmann's Libel Lawsuits Against Several Media Outlets Dismissed
All the lawsuits stem from the media's quoting Nathan Phillips' claims that Sandmann was "block[ing Phillips'] way" at a demonstration by the Lincoln Memorial.
Court Makes It Easier for Plaintiffs to Win Libel Lawsuits Against #MeToo Claimants
A potentially very important 2-1 decision today from the Minnesota Court of Appeals, which held that such a #MeToo post wasn’t on a “matter of public concern,” and was thus less protected by the First Amendment.
#TheyLied (or #TheyWereNegligent) Libel Claim Based on Allegations of Rape of Third Party Student Can Proceed
Among other things, "A jury could reasonably conclude that, before making so weighty an accusation as rape based on nothing more than hearsay evidence, the prudent person would, at a minimum, want to hear the other person's side of the story."
Dismissal of Libel Lawsuit Over Gallaudet U's Allegation that Frat Has "Become the Face of Systemic Racism"
The lawsuit, which stems from statements about the fraternity’s use of a salute that looks similar to a Nazi salute and robes that some viewed as similar to Klan robes was rejected chiefly on the grounds that the statement was about the fraternity not the plaintiff, and was in any event opinion.
Sig Sauer Libel Suit Bumped from N.H. to Connecticut
A good illustration of how many courts deal with personal jurisdiction in libel cases.
Dungeons & Defamation: Role-Playing Game Convention Libel Case Can Go Forward
Good thing Zak Smith had lawyer characters with 18 Tort Law Acumen.
Another Decision Against Sealing Records in Libel Cases
Litigating defamation claims "in secrecy to avoid any potential embarrassment to" their subjects "directly contradicts the presumptive right of public access to pleadings and judicial proceedings."
Criminal Libel Law, Partly Coming Back in Washington State in Harassment Order Cases
When a judge hearing a protection order petition thinks the defendant is engaged in "harassment," which can include two or more statements the judge thinks is libelous, the judge can effectively criminalize future libels of the plaintiff by the defendant.
>$10M Libel Verdicts: They're Not Just for Johnny Depp
But here the Iowa Supreme Court reduced the verdict to $3M, with an interesting analysis of the law of libel.
Not Libel or IIED to Accuse Ex-Son-in-Law of Trying to Turn His Daughter (Accuser's Granddaughter) Lesbian,
at least in text messages to the grandchildren.
$125K Libel Punitive Award Excessive When Jury Found No Compensatory Damages
The award was entered against entertainment executive Damon Anthony Dash, former business partner of Jay-Z; $650K in libel damages to another plaintiff, plus likely $25K of the $125K, remain.
