Media & Communications Law

Supreme Court Roundup: Win for storage locker robber; Cosby victory; Thomas on Section 230

A storage locker robber and actor and comedian Bill Cosby had victories in the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday, while Justice Clarence Thomas called for consideration of the immunity afforded to online publishers.

Mar 8, 2022 11:58 AM 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

Can undercover cops use Snapchat content for prosecution? It depends, top state court rules

The top state court in Massachusetts on Monday ruled against a Snapchat user who was prosecuted after posting a gun video seen by a "friend" who turned out to be an undercover police officer.

Feb 9, 2022 10:37 AM CST

FTC’s revised antitrust suit against Facebook survives motion to dismiss

A federal judge in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday allowed the Federal Trade Commission to proceed with its revised antitrust lawsuit against Facebook.

Jan 12, 2022 11:09 AM 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

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

Judge is suspended once again for social media posts—this time for soliciting hurricane donations

A South Carolina probate judge has been suspended for 18 months, partly for soliciting hurricane relief donations on Facebook and partly for his all-caps declaration as a would-be character witness.

Oct 20, 2021 9:05 AM CDT

Social media companies that posted ISIS content aren’t liable for Pulse nightclub shooting, 11th Circuit rules

A federal appeals court has ruled social media companies can’t be held liable for radicalizing the Pulse nightclub gunman under the federal Anti-Terrorism Act because the plaintiffs failed to show the massacre was an act of “international terrorism.”

Sep 30, 2021 10:20 AM CDT

Trump sues niece for disclosing his tax records and the New York Times for encouraging it

Former President Donald Trump filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the New York Times and Mary Trump, his niece, that seeks at least $100 million in damages for her disclosure of his tax records to the newspaper.

Sep 22, 2021 11:48 AM CDT

Zoom agrees to $85M settlement in litigation over privacy and ‘Zoombombings’

Zoom Video Communications has agreed to pay $85 million to settle nationwide litigation alleging misrepresentations and broken promises regarding customers’ security and privacy.

Aug 2, 2021 3:28 PM CDT

Do we need to rethink how we handle classified leaks?

As the 50th anniversary of the Pentagon Papers case approached, First Amendment scholars Lee Bollinger and Geoffrey Stone knew they wanted to mark the occasion somehow.

Jul 7, 2021 9:00 AM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Judge rejects $2B Roundup settlement; Dershowitz pursues defamation suits

Judge rejects $2B settlement in Roundup litigation U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria of the Northern District of California has rejected a proposed $2 billion settlement of future claims in litigation alleging that Roundup weed killer causes cancer. Chhabria said the settlement would accomplish a lot for Monsanto, the maker of…

May 27, 2021 3:25 PM CDT