Iowa federal judge tosses Devin Nunes defamation case against reporter

courthousenews ^ | April 23, 2023 | Dave Byrnes

[Miami Rebel]

The suit stemmed from a political reporter's investigation into claims the former congressman's family used undocumented workers on their Iowa dairy farm.

[alstewartfan]

The “law” has become simply a club to use against patriots.

[Karl Spooner]

Dominion slander lawsuit against conservatives = A Okay

Conservative slander lawsuit against liberal media = Not a chance (Judge: "Don't make me laugh")

[Regulator]

But if Nunes had been a Rat, the reporter could be looking at bankruptcy. Or worse, maybe a $787M judgement for pointing out the truth.

[Charlie Murphy]

Report the truth about Dominion Voting machines = pay up $787
Report on a completely fabricated story to smear them as long as they are a Republican = okay

[Revel]

In this day and age the left can sue conservatives, but not the other way around.

[pepsi_junkie]

The court disagreed. U.S. District Judge C.J. Williams, a Donald Trump appointee, dismissed the suit in August 2020, finding that nothing in the 2018 article harmed Nunes directly and that Nunes never actually denied Lizza's implication that NuStar used undocumented labor. A successful appeal to the Eighth Circuit revived the case in September 2021 with NuStar joining in as a plaintiff.

The truth is an absolute defense in such cases. The fact that apparently Nunes didn't dispute the truth of the allegation in either this original hearing or the appeal is a pretty bad sign.

[Lockbox]

Let me guess.... no estar de pie 🤣🤣🤣

[Coronal]

The essential facts of the piece were accurate. The Nunes’ farm did hire undocumented workers.

“The assertion that NuStar knowingly used undocumented labor is substantially, objectively true,” Williams wrote in his 101-page ruling released Tuesday.

“Williams noted that 243 of 319 workers at NuStar Farms on or before the day the article published did not have Social Security numbers that matched Social Security Administration records. He said evidence showed the farm was warned about this, took expired credentials and did not correctly sign forms that verified employees could work legally in the U.S. Six employees who were subpoenaed by Hearst, which owns Esquire, to prove their work authorization pleaded the Fifth Amendment to not self incriminate.”

“Williams pointed out NuStar Farms never used e-Verify, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s voluntary program for checking a worker’s employment eligibility, even though Nunes praised the program and suggested it should be mandatory in an interview on Fox News in 2019. In a deposition, the judge wrote, Nunes called e-Verify a failed program.”

https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article274733536.html

[lepton]

The truth is an absolute defense in such cases. The fact that apparently Nunes didn’t dispute the truth of the allegation in either this original hearing or the appeal is a pretty bad sign.

---

It is.

[Miami Rebel]

I agree. And it’s a pretty bad look that Truth Social’s CEO employs illegals. Donald Trump’s hiring has been his weakness despite him hosting “The Apprentice.”