Since undertaking the representation of Richard Jewell, the security guard falsely accused of the 1996 bombing of Centennial Olympic Park, L. Lin Wood, P.C. has served as the nation’s go-to law firm for aggressively representing plaintiffs in defamation matters against media and other defendants. Our firm has handled some of the nation’s highest-profile defamation cases. There is no First Amendment lawyer more respected and feared than L. Lin Wood, described by former CBS anchor Dan Rather as “The Attorney for the Damned.”
https://www.foxnews.com/us/judge-di...ith-native-american-at-lincoln-memorial-rally Judge dismisses Covington student's defamation suit against Washington Post A federal judge in Kentucky Friday threw out a defamation lawsuit filed against The Washington Post by Covington Catholic High School student Nicholas Sandmann and his family over the paper's reporting of an incident between the young man and a Native American man this past January in Washington. The lawsuit, which was filed in February, sought $250 million in damages and accused the Post of practicing "a modern-day form of McCarthyism" by targeting Sandmann and "using its vast financial resources to enter the bully pulpit by publishing a series of false and defamatory print and online articles ... to smear a young boy who was in its view an acceptable casualty in their war against the president." Sandmann became the focus of outrage after a video of him standing face-to-face with a Native American man, Nathan Phillips, while wearing a red "Make America Great Again" hat surfaced and rapidly spread online. Sandmann was one of a group of Covington students attending the anti-abortion March for Life in Washington, D.C., while Phillips was attending the Indigenous Peoples' March on the same day. In a 36-page ruling, U.S. District Judge William Bertelsman noted that the Post never mentioned Sandmann by name in its initial coverage of the incident, referring only to groups of "hat wearing teens." Bertelsman added that "the words used contain no reflection upon any particular individual" and thus could not be constituted as defamation. The judge also ruled that the newspaper used language that was "loose, figurative," and "rhetorical hyperbole" which is protected by the First Amendment. Sandmann and the Covington students were initially accused of initiating the confrontation with Phillips, but other videos and the students' own statements showed that they were verbally accosted by a group of black street preachers who were shouting insults both at them and a group of Native Americans. Sandmann and Phillips have both said they were trying to defuse the situation. The lawsuit claimed the Post falsely labeled Sandmann a racist by publishing articles that "falsely accused Nicholas of ... 'accost[ing]' Phillips by 'suddenly swarm[ing]' him in a 'threaten[ing]' and 'physically intimidat[ing]' manner ... 'block[ing]' Phillips path, refusing to allow Phillips 'to retreat,' 'taunting the dispersing indigenous crowd,' [and] chanting, 'Build that wall,' 'Trump2020,' or 'Go back to Africa.'" Sandmann's lawsuit was based on seven articles and three Tweets that appeared on The Post's website and social media pages after the incident. President Trump supported the lawsuit when it was filed, tweeting: "Covington student suing WAPO. Go get them Nick. Fake News!" Judge Bertelsman said in the ruling that he accepted Sandmann's contention that "when he was standing motionless in the confrontation with Phillips, his intent was to calm the situation..." But he noted that Phillips asserted that he was being blocked from passing, and Phillips' opinion was reported by the newspaper. "They may have been erroneous ... but they are opinion protected by The First Amendment," Bertelsman wrote. The Sandmann family said they would be asking the appellate court to review the trial court's decision on appeal. “I believe fighting for justice for my son and family is of vital national importance," said Ted Sandmann, Nicholas' father. "If what was done to Nicholas is not legally actionable, then no one is safe." “The law must protect innocent minors targeted by journalists publishing click-bait sensationalized news," Todd McMurtry, co-counsel for the Sandmann family, said in the statement. "This is especially true in the current hyper-partisan political environment.” Sandmann also filed separate lawsuits against CNN and NBC that remain pending.
These MAGA bums need to get a damn job https://www.foxnews.com/us/eight-co...-defamation-lawsuit-against-sen-warren-others Eight Covington Catholic teens file defamation lawsuit against Sen. Warren, others Eight Covington Catholic High School students claim they were defamed during a field trip to Washington in January in a lawsuit filed in Kentucky. The lawsuit seeks damages for alleged defamatory comments by 12 individuals—lawmakers, journalists and social media personalities, Law & Crime reported Friday. The individuals include presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and New York Times White House correspondent Maggie Haberman. The field trip drew international headlines after Covington High student Nicholas Sandmann, wearing a MAGA hat, was filmed directly facing a Native American activist near the Lincoln Memorial. JUDGE DISMISSES COVINGTON STUDENT'S DEFAMATION SUIT AGAINST WASHINGTON POST Just days ago, a lawsuit Sandmann and his family brought against The Washington Post over its coverage was dismissed by a Kentucky federal judge. “Several of our Senators, most-famous celebrities, and widely read journalists, collectively used their large social media platforms, perceived higher credibility and public followings to lie and libel minors they never met, based on an event they never witnessed,” the lawsuit said, according to Law & Crime. “These defendants called for the kids to be named and shamed, doxxed and expelled, and invited public retaliation against these minors from a small town in Kentucky,” the lawsuit said. An email to Warren’s Senate office seeking comment received no immediate reply. COVINGTON HIGH STUDENT'S LEGAL TEAM SUES WASHINGTON POST A New York Times representative told Law & Crime that “Ms. Haberman has not yet been served with this complaint. The lawsuit is entirely without merit and we will vigorously defend it if necessary." Law & Crime said the other defendants are Rep. Deb Haaland (D-New Mexico), CNN’s Ana Navarro, comedian Kathy Griffin, ABC News political analyst Matthew Dowd, writer Reza Aslan, Kentucky entrepreneur Adam Edelen, Princeton University History Professor Kevin M. Kruse, activist and journalist Shaun King, Mother Jones editor-in-chief Clara Jeffery and Rewire.News editor-in-chief Jodi Jacobson. Rewire and Edelen told Law & Crime they had no comment. The website said it was in the process of reaching out to all the defendants. The eight Covington students are listed in the lawsuit as John Doe plaintiffs. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Their lawyer is Robert Barnes, who is representing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones in the Sandy Hook case
30 of 33 of of Sandmans complaints remain dismissed. https://www.foxnews.com/us/nick-sandmann-covington-catholic-case-reopened In a 36-page ruling in July that dismissed all of Sandmann's claims based on his initial complaint, Judge Bertelsman said that The Post never mentioned Sandmann by name in its initial coverage of the incident, referring only to groups of "hat-wearing teens." The judge maintained that "the words used contain no reflection upon any particular individual" and thus could not be constituted as defamation. Thirty other statements reported by The Post that Sandmann alleged to have been defamatory are not covered by the reconsidered ruling, and they remained dismissed. Far from a win But, Judge Bertelsman said in his new ruling, discovery should be undertaken concerning the "context" of the claims that Sandmann had blocked Phillipps. After discovery, the judge could make a summary-judgment ruling -- or send the case to trial.
Glad none of these outlets are taking the easy way out by settling. True defenders for freedom of speech and the press