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Bill Maher, HBO Hit With Laura Loomer $150M Defamation Lawsuit After Donald Trump Relationship Joke
Hollywood Reporter ^ | 10/22/2024 | Georg Szalai

Posted on 10/22/2024 8:43:36 AM PDT by SeekAndFind

Political activist Laura Loomer, a prominent right-wing personality, has filed a defamation lawsuit against Bill Maher and Warner Bros. Discovery’s HBO “for broadcasting with actual malice” suggestions that she “has committed adultery with President Donald Trump” on a recent edition of Real Time With Bill Maher, her lawyer Larry Klayman said on Tuesday.

Klayman, a former federal prosecutor and former candidate for the U.S. Senate in Florida known for numerous lawsuits he filed against Bill Clinton’s presidential administration, unveiled the defamation complaint, arguing that the defendants were “broadcasting with actual malice that Republican female conservative activist Laura Loomer has committed adultery with President Donald Trump.”

The complaint has been filed in the Florida district “where Ms. Loomer ran for U.S. Congress and has strong roots and has a community reputation as a respected moral figure,” according to a statement, which also noted that she is seeking $150 million plus punitive damages.

The legal filing quotes comments that Maher made on the Sept. 13 edition of Real Time on HBO this way: “I think maybe Laura Loomer is in an arranged relationship to affect the election because she’s very close to Trump. She’s 31, looks like his type. We did an editorial here a few years ago … it was basically, who’s Trump f***ing? Because, I said, you know, it’s not nobody. He’s been a dog for too long, and it’s not Melania. I think we may have our answer this week. I think it might be Laura Loomer.”

The lawsuit calls these comments “false, malicious and defamatory” before going into more details.

“Ms. Loomer has been a strong advocate for President Donald Trump in her profession as a conservative activist and investigative journalist over the past decade,” Klayman said in a statement.

(Excerpt) Read more at hollywoodreporter.com ...


TOPICS:
KEYWORDS: billmaher; georgszalai; hbo; hollywoodreporter; lauraloomer; lawsuit
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1 posted on 10/22/2024 8:43:36 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind

She is a public figure. It was a joke.

That is the price for being a public figure.

It doesn’t matter if the joke is funny or not.


2 posted on 10/22/2024 8:46:04 AM PDT by Vermont Lt (Don’t vote for anyone over 70 years old. Get rid of the geriatric politicians.)
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To: SeekAndFind

Laura Loomer is a prominent right-wing personality, but Bill Maher isn’t a prominent left-wing personality? Media shills suck.


3 posted on 10/22/2024 8:55:35 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (Putin should skip ahead to where he kills himself in the bunker.)
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To: Vermont Lt

They have it coming. I hope she grinds them into dust. Joke, or not.
They don’t let us off the hook by saying “it was just a joke”.
Payback is a mutha. I love it!


4 posted on 10/22/2024 8:56:51 AM PDT by bk1000 (Banned from Breitbart)
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To: Vermont Lt

I tend to agree with you, to a degree.
If you are in the public eye, particularly if you in the media or if you run for office, you don’t have quite the same right to privacy and freedom from harassment than your average private citizen who is just keeping their head down and living their lives, because you have implicitly agreed to a certain level of public scrutiny but entering the public arena.
whew...

What is more, if every time some lame late night comedian or stand-up comedian lampooned someone then they ended up getting sued, there wouldn’t be any free speech to either be critical or satirical.

However..!.!.!... just because the bar is set high to prove malice doesn’t mean you can’t take it to court and make a case for it.

You say, “it doesn’t matter if the joke is funny or not”, well I would suggest if someone turned you into a joke on national cable television, you might not feel so impersonal about it. If the joke wasn’t funny because it wasn’t a joke at all, mainly because it’s insulting for the sake of being insulting, then maybe you deserve some public scrutiny yourself.


5 posted on 10/22/2024 8:56:55 AM PDT by z3n (Kakistocracy)
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To: Vermont Lt

The process is the punishment.

Long overdue for liberals live in the dystopian legal system they created.


6 posted on 10/22/2024 9:00:20 AM PDT by Skwor
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To: Vermont Lt

Loony Loomer, Loony Larry and a Loony Lawsuit. Imagine them crossing paths? How could that happen?


7 posted on 10/22/2024 9:23:20 AM PDT by Oystir ( )
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To: z3n

well I would suggest if someone turned you into a joke on national cable television, you might not feel so impersonal about it…

——————-

I understand your point. But the difference is that I am a private citizen who has not actively “put myself out there”.

I read a bunch of stuff about the suggested relationship between Trump and Loomer. I thought they were hamfisted and kind of stupid. I haven’t seen Maher’s comments, but based on what he usually does, I bet they were not as lurid as some of the things I read.

It appears that Laura is doing this for the publicity. Which is fine, I guess. In a world of “clicks and followers” that is how they stay relevant.


8 posted on 10/22/2024 9:25:43 AM PDT by Vermont Lt (Don’t vote for anyone over 70 years old. Get rid of the geriatric politicians.)
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To: Vermont Lt

But that’s why they’re claiming actual malice. It’s an exception to the public figure defamation defense under Sullivan and progeny.


9 posted on 10/22/2024 9:36:06 AM PDT by jagusafr ( )
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To: bk1000

I understand the process is the punishment.

But don’t get worked up when this gets tossed before they can even get into a courtroom.

On its surface, it doesnt seem like a strong case. But who knows?

Are we not entertained?


10 posted on 10/22/2024 9:36:16 AM PDT by Vermont Lt (Don’t vote for anyone over 70 years old. Get rid of the geriatric politicians.)
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To: Vermont Lt

I think “might be” won’t fly as defamation.


11 posted on 10/22/2024 9:39:18 AM PDT by Jim Noble (Assez de mensonges et de phrases)
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To: SeekAndFind

THIS is what we need to start doing. Sue them into oblivion. If they claim to be a NEWS organization they cannot ONLY have opinion.


12 posted on 10/22/2024 9:45:06 AM PDT by Singermom
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To: bk1000

“They have it coming. I hope she grinds them into dust. Joke, or not.
They don’t let us off the hook by saying “it was just a joke”.
Payback is a mutha. I love it!”

Let’s not become what they are.


13 posted on 10/22/2024 9:47:33 AM PDT by Gary from Dayton (Army Vet 1986-1991 unburdened by what I was burdened by before.)
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To: Vermont Lt

I believe she is a private citizen. She is known to the public...I believe the Supreme court has defined a PUBLIC figure to be a government official or someone who has a prominent role in society. I don’t think famous is the same as prominent. Plus her lawyers will argue that Maher and his team of writers knew the story to be false, and with malice, propagated the story.
Either way, Mr.politically incorrect may find himself Mr.Legally incorrect.

If you want to see Mr. Maher in a TV show as an actor, check out Murder She Wrote.....episode “Goodbye Charley”, and another one “Fire burn, Cauldron Bubble”..as the Beatle song goes “He shoulda’ known better”

Freegards.


14 posted on 10/22/2024 9:50:55 AM PDT by Getready (Wisdom is more valuable than gold and harder to find.)
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To: Gary from Dayton

“Let’s not become what they are.”

That attitude is exactly why we lose.

L


15 posted on 10/22/2024 9:51:12 AM PDT by Lurker ( Peaceful coexistence with the Left is not possible. Stop pretending that it is.)
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To: Gary from Dayton
Let’s not become what they are.

When Republicans enter the boxing ring, we follow the Marquis of Queensbury rules. We are very proper. The Democrats enter the boxing ring holding a machete and a 9mm. There are no rules for the Democrats. Oddly enough, the Republicans tend to lose. But at least we were very proper

By all means, let’s not become what they are. Winning would be awful.

16 posted on 10/22/2024 9:55:09 AM PDT by ClearCase_guy (My decisions about people are based almost entirely on skin color. I learned this from Democrats.)
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To: Vermont Lt

I’m happy Loomer is taking this action.

Considering the fact that the majority of judges are corrupt, far left insurrectionists, this lawsuit will probably get nowhere, But, it’s past time that REAL Americans start using law fare against the left and make leftists’ lives extremely uncomfortable.

The problem is too many so-called conservatives insist on playing “nice” and fair to the Demonrats. On this site, many cowards belittle Loomer and Congresswoman MTG because they actually (gasp) fight back. Loomer and MTG are heroes.

Russians aren’t our enemies; The Demonrats are.

See my tagline.


17 posted on 10/22/2024 10:01:14 AM PDT by CrimsonTidegirl (Demonrats aren’t Americans. )
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To: SeekAndFind

Klayman will destroy Maher on the stand.


18 posted on 10/22/2024 10:03:40 AM PDT by Round Earther
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To: Gary from Dayton

WRONG!! Conservatives are too d**n nice and, as a result, the insurrectionist Demonrats get away with murder. Literally.

Remember, nice guys finish last. Republicans ALWAYS lose because we have too many cowards who want to play nice and be “above it all”.

Demonrats want REAL Americans dead or in re-education camps. My god, can you not see that fact? As I told someone else, Russians aren’t our enemies; Demonrats are.

I don’t even associate with Demonrats. They deserve nothing but harassment, do Xi get, lawsuits and absolute pain and misery.


19 posted on 10/22/2024 10:10:24 AM PDT by CrimsonTidegirl (Demonrats aren’t Americans. )
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To: CrimsonTidegirl

The “do XI get” was meant to spell “doxxing”. iPad fail.

Also, a failure on my part on failing to proofread.


20 posted on 10/22/2024 10:13:42 AM PDT by CrimsonTidegirl (Demonrats aren’t Americans. )
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