Libel

Weekly Briefs: SCOTUS approval rating plummets; Trumps lose deposition appeal

SCOTUS approval rating drops 10 percentage points Only 44% of the public approves of the way that the U.S. Supreme Court is handling its job, according to a Marquette University Law School poll. The survey was conducted soon after the leak of a draft opinion overturning the right to abortion.…

May 27, 2022 1:44 PM CDT

The Defamation Trial of Johnny Depp: When thespians testify, who can you believe?

My main office has three large conference rooms. They are outfitted with presentable marble tables and large, comfortable black chairs, and they are adorned with images of the Oklahoma City skyline. More important, though, they have TVs.

May 12, 2022 1:55 PM CDT

ACLU lawyers reviewed op-ed that led to Johnny Depp’s defamation claim, its GC testifies

Several lawyers with the American Civil Liberties Union reviewed the Washington Post op-ed by actress Amber Heard that led to actor Johnny Depp’s defamation lawsuit against her, according to testimony by the organization’s general counsel last week.

May 2, 2022 8:44 AM CDT

Chicago Park District seeks to seal lawyer’s suit claiming mayor defamed him in obscenity-laced Zoom call

The Chicago Park District is seeking to seal a lawsuit filed by a former park district lawyer contending that Mayor Lori Lightfoot defamed him by questioning his legal ability in an obscenity-laced Zoom call.

Apr 4, 2022 2:59 PM CDT

Lawyer who claimed his paralegal likely tried to poison him may proceed with suit, Texas court rules

A paralegal accused in a lawsuit of falsely claiming that her lawyer boss was depressed to cover up his alleged poisoning can’t get his libel claims dismissed, a Texas appeals court has ruled.

Feb 15, 2022 1:27 PM CST

Sarah Palin didn’t meet ‘high standard’ for proving defamation in suit against New York Times, judge says

Updated: A federal judge in New York told lawyers on Monday that he will dismiss a defamation lawsuit filed against the New York Times by former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.

Feb 15, 2022 9:08 AM CST

Lawyer can’t pursue suit over negative online reviews by nonclients, 7th Circuit rules

A federal appeals court has upheld the dismissal of an Illinois lawyer’s libel lawsuit against online commenters who gave him one-star ratings after he posted an “odd and offensive” comment on Facebook.

Feb 1, 2022 2:22 PM CST

Judge who described pro-Trump lawyer as ‘mendacious or incompetent’ ruled too quickly, top state court says

A Delaware judge abused his discretion when he tossed a pro-Trump lawyer from a case without giving him an opportunity to respond to a show-cause order, the Delaware Supreme Court ruled Wednesday.

Jan 19, 2022 2:44 PM CST

Judge refuses to toss Dominion’s $1.6B defamation suit against Fox News

A Delaware superior court judge has refused to dismiss a $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit filed by Dominion Voting Systems against Fox News over the network’s election fraud claims.

Dec 17, 2021 12:20 PM CST

Imposter lawyer who filed document in Cosby case wins reversal of his conviction

A federal appeals court has overturned the false statements conviction of a man who posed as a lawyer to file a document in civil litigation between actor Bill Cosby and sexual assault accuser Andrea Constand.

Nov 30, 2021 3:08 PM CST

Weekly Briefs: New charges against lawyer accused of staging his shooting; Christian florist settles

Suspended lawyer Alex Murdaugh faces new charges Suspended South Carolina lawyer Alex Murdaugh, previously charged in an alleged scheme to have himself killed for insurance money, is facing 27 new charges as the result of five indictments by a South Carolina state grand jury. The indictments allege that Murdaugh stole…

Nov 19, 2021 4:14 PM CST

Former ‘The Apprentice’ contestant drops defamation suit against Trump with no compensation

Former The Apprentice contestant Summer Zervos has dropped her lawsuit alleging that former President Donald Trump defamed her when he denied her allegations of unwanted groping and kissing.

Nov 15, 2021 10:55 AM CST

Top state court rules against public defender who sued ACLU for calling him ‘crooked’

A public defender is a public official who must prove actual malice in his defamation lawsuit against the American Civil Liberties Union for a blog post calling him “crooked,” the Georgia Supreme Court has ruled.

Oct 20, 2021 12:51 PM CDT

Missing apostrophe in Facebook post leads to defamation suit

An Australian real estate agent is facing a defamation lawsuit because of a missing apostrophe in his Facebook post. The real estate agent wrote the post about his former employer and his alleged failure to pay money into Australia’s retirement system.

Oct 12, 2021 9:40 AM CDT

Infowars host who called Sandy Hook shooting a ‘giant hoax’ loses suits because of discovery abuse

Infowars host and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones is liable by default in three defamation lawsuits filed over his claims that the December 2012 mass shooting at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, was a “giant hoax.”

Oct 4, 2021 1:02 PM CDT