Not libel if true
I think truth is a defense in libel cases, no? Trump is suing CNN for “libeling” him by reporting on him.
Donald Trump has sued cable TV network CNN, claiming defamation and seeking punitive damages of $475m, according to a Florida court filing on Monday.
The US cable news station has attempted to smear the former US president “with a series of ever-more scandalous, false, and defamatory labels of ‘racist,’ ‘Russian lackey,’ ‘insurrectionist,’ and ultimately ‘Hitler’,” Trump’s lawyers claimed. The lawsuit has been filed in federal court in Fort Lauderdale.
I don’t think those claims will be very hard to defend as true. If CNN said he actually is Hitler that could be an issue, but I’m betting they compared him to Hitler as opposed to confusing him with Hitler. Just for a start Hitler has been dead since April 1945.
“Beyond simply highlighting any negative information about the plaintiff and ignoring all positive information about him, CNN has sought to use its massive influence, purportedly as a ‘trusted’ news source, to defame the plaintiff in the minds of its viewers and readers for the purpose of defeating him politically,” the filing states.
Welp, that sounds about as stupid as you’d expect.
Was there any newsworthy “positive information” to be had? CNN covered everything that Trump did and said, along with every other major news network. For instance they covered the stacking of the Supreme Court in detail, which is considered “positive information” for some, but for others an utter disaster. That CNN publishes opinion pieces with aggressive criticism is true enough, but they are protected under the Constitution. I don’t see where CNN failed to report on, or “ignored” anything that Fox News reported on as a “positive.” Trump also threatened to sue Fox for similar reasons; he simply didn’t like something they said. Trump’s failed attempt to control the spin doesn’t entitle him to a payoff; in fact his egomaniacal obsession to enforce his propaganda is a fascist strategy, and in direct conflict with the First Amendment. It might be a different story if Trump had any redeeming qualities of character, but he doesn’t, and the monetization of being a stupid asshole has it’s limits. CNN owes him nothing, and neither do the rest of us.
Gee, what lawyers did he get to commit career suicide over this pile of hogwash? How does he keep doing that?
@2 Well they aren’t doing it pro bono or on contingency, that’s for sure. As long as Trump’s supporters are paying the tab, he’ll keep hiring lawyers, but probably not principled ones (insert lawyer joke here)…
And how would he scream every time someone says something positive about BLM? Or for that matter, the Central Park five? Or any other group he disapproves of? Was he demanding positive things be reported about Hillary Clinton? About Hunter BIden? Nope.
Courts really need to start cracking down on lawsuits like this with professional discipline for the lawyers.
Just dismissing the case isn’t enough. Even awarding attorneys’ fees to the defendants isn’t enough, because someone like Trump will make more money fundraising off this than the fee award.
People are using the courts to harass their enemies, get cheap PR, and raise funds, and if courts don’t want to be used that way — and they shouldn’t — they’ve got to get tough.
We saw a bit of this with the crazier election challenge lawsuits, to the point that I suspect some competent lawyers who weren’t already scared off by Trump’s history probably passed on this nonsense precisely because the sanctions risk seems higher than before. But not high enough, apparently.
This is, honestly, just another Trump Grift (a Trift?), not a serious attempt at a legal engagement. Here’s how it works:
Step 1: File a lawsuit. The more ludicrous, the better, as it gets more media play, and thus is more drilled into the public awareness. Make sure to hype the suit on what remains of your social media accounts.
Step 2: Send out donation appeals to the loyal followers. Emphasize that this is finally an attempt to hold ‘the liberal mainstream media’ to account. In the fine print, make sure to note that donations are not actually required to go to the legal team or other expenses related to the suit.
Step 3: Continue with step 2 until the judge finally gets tired of your efforts to avoid discovery, then let the lawsuit die. Be sure to blame the media, the judge and/or your own lawyers (who are probably NOT going to get paid what they were promised).
Step 4: Keep as much of the money as you can get away with.
Wait until the furor dies down, then wash, rinse, repeat.
I wonder if they are equally outraged by the conservatives comparing Obama, Clinton, AOC and so on to Stalin?