Libel

Weekly Briefs: Justice Thomas responds to luxury trips story; suit filed over Idaho AG’s abortion referrals opinion

Justice Thomas: I was following colleagues’ advice on luxury trips U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas said he was following guidance from colleagues and others in the judiciary when he didn’t report luxury trips financed by a good friend, Republican megadonor Harlan Crow. ProPublica’s report on the trips said Thomas…

Apr 7, 2023 2:13 PM CDT

ChatGPT falsely accuses law prof of sexual harassment; is libel suit possible?

A law professor was surprised to hear that he had been accused of sexual harassment during a class trip to Alaska sponsored by his law school, the Georgetown University Law Center.

Apr 6, 2023 10:42 AM CDT

Alan Dershowitz can’t pursue defamation suit against CNN, despite its ‘foolishness’ and ‘apathy,’ judge says

Former Harvard Law School professor Alan Dershowitz can’t pursue his lawsuit contending that CNN defamed him by mischaracterizing his remarks during the first impeachment trial of then-President Donald Trump, a federal judge in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, has ruled.

Apr 5, 2023 12:51 PM CDT

In ‘Actual Malice,’ law prof explains why NYT v. Sullivan mattered in 1964 and is under attack today

The 1964 decision in New York Times v. Sullivan protected the civil rights movement, established the "actual malice" standard, and is the basis for modern American libel law. But in recent years, criticism of the case has grown among conservatives—with U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas calling it "policy-driven decisions masquerading as constitutional law" and suggesting that the decision should be reconsidered.

Mar 29, 2023 8:52 AM CDT

Suit by Fox News producer alleges BigLaw lawyers and others pressured her to give evasive testimony

Updated: A Fox News producer alleges in a lawsuit filed Monday that she worked in a “misogynistic environment” at the network and received worse legal representation than male employees as she prepared for deposition testimony in the defamation case filed by Dominion Voting Systems.

Mar 21, 2023 12:32 PM CDT

Law prof isn’t sure whether Florida blogger bill applies to him, says second bill would help cop defamation suits

Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Republican-dominated state legislature are “willing to take their chances in court” with performative legislation that goes beyond the law as it currently stands, according to a professor at the Florida International University College of Law.

Mar 7, 2023 9:36 AM CST

Weekly Briefs: SCOTUS nixes immigration arguments; decapitation defendant attacks her lawyer

SCOTUS drops arguments in immigration case The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday removed a case from its argument calendar in which 19 states sought to keep in place an immigrant expulsion policy. The policy, based on Title 42 of the U.S. Code, quickly expelled asylum seekers on the ground they…

Feb 17, 2023 3:45 PM CST

Court dismisses part of UIC law prof’s civil rights lawsuit

Updated: A federal judge on Wednesday dismissed a claim brought by Jason Kilborn, the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law professor who used abbreviated racial and gender slurs in a 2020 essay exam question, that he had been unfairly retaliated against for engaging in protected speech. However, the court also allowed some of his defamation claims to go forward.

Feb 16, 2023 3:57 PM CST

Lawyers for Trump and rape accuser square off over DNA offer

Lawyers for former President Donald Trump and a woman who accused him of sexual assault are fighting over his offer to provide a DNA sample in exchange for missing pages of a forensic analysis of the dress that she claims to have worn on the day in question.

Feb 14, 2023 9:26 AM CST

Weekly Briefs: Judge orders reform of school-funding system; BigLaw malpractice suit settles

School-funding system violates state constitution, judge says A Pennsylvania judge has ruled that the state’s school-funding system, which is heavily dependent on local property taxes, violates the state constitutional rights of students in poor school districts. Judge Renee Cohn Jubelirer said the system violates the Pennsylvania Constitution’s education clause and…

Feb 10, 2023 2:44 PM CST

‘Routine performance management’ can’t be basis for fired associate’s bias suit, BigLaw firm argues

Kirkland & Ellis is arguing that a fired associate’s lawsuit against the firm should be tossed partly because a harassment claim under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act can’t be based on “routine performance management.”

Jan 25, 2023 2:17 PM CST

Judge sanctions Trump and his lead lawyer nearly $1M for ‘pattern of misuse of the courts’

A federal judge in West Palm Beach, Florida, has sanctioned former President Donald Trump and his lead lawyer nearly $1 million for a lawsuit filed against Hillary Clinton and other defendants claiming “a malicious conspiracy” to spread false information and rig the 2016 presidential election.

Jan 20, 2023 11:25 AM CST

Judge won’t sanction Texas lawyer for missteps after mistaken disclosure of info about Sandy Hook families

Updated: A Connecticut judge has declined to sanction a Texas lawyer representing Infowars host Alex Jones for failing to take proper action after his paralegal mistakenly released confidential documents to the opposing counsel.

Jan 19, 2023 9:41 AM CST

Ex-lawyer who claimed wrongs by ‘bar card lynch mob’ charged with stabbing targeted attorney

A suspended lawyer in Renton, Washington, who once sued two other attorneys for defamation is accused of stabbing one of the lawsuit defendants in the back last month.

Jan 17, 2023 3:31 PM CST

Mistaken disclosure of confidential documents leads to suspension for lawyer representing Infowars host

Updated: A Connecticut judge has ordered a six-month suspension for a lawyer representing Infowars host and founder Alex Jones because the attorney “carelessly” handled confidential documents mistakenly released to the opposing counsel in a defamation trial against Jones.

Jan 9, 2023 2:04 PM CST