Posted on 03/05/2019 6:00:58 PM PST by Steely Tom
Nicholas Sandmann is one of the Covington Catholic High School students caught in a media firestorm while attending the March for Life last month in Washington, D.C. Now, he is pushing back.
Last week, his lawyers filed a defamation lawsuit against The Washington Post for $250 million—the amount that Jeff Bezos spent to buy the newspaper.
Does Sandmann have any chance of winning? The short answer is “yes.” But it’s not a sure thing. He’s taking on a defendant with very deep pockets and absolutely no incentive to settle.
Sandmann has sent letters threatening legal action to more than 50 media organizations, celebrities, and politicians about their public statements condemning and attacking Sandmann. The Washington Post is the first media organization to be sued.
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What’s Sandmann’s beef? He was accused of racist behavior toward Native American activist Nathan Phillips, based almost entirely on what his lawyers call a “deceptively edited” 59-second video clip. More complete videos of the incident show that the allegations were false.
Sandmann’s lawyers claim The Washington Post stories were “falsely accusing him of instigating the January 18 incident” and “conveyed that Nicholas engaged in acts of racism by ‘swarming’ Phillips, ‘blocking’ his exit away from the students, and otherwise engaging in racist misconduct.” The lawsuit says the newspaper “ignored basic journalistic standards” and engaged in “negligent, reckless, and malicious attacks” on Sandmann, leading a “mainstream and social media mob of bullies which attacked, vilified and threatened” him.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailysignal.com ...
I think the defendant (Washington Post) isn't the only party who doesn't want to settle.
Go Nick!...after the Post go after all the rest!!!!
Hope they burn a whole lot of the Post's resources in the court case, but don't see it ever reaching a jury. (If it does, of course, Bezos is losing a billion dollars.)
A settlement might hurt the Post financially but depositions and even a trial would hurt them much worse even if the payout is less.
The more important thing is the precedent that can be set.
Judges are fond of precedent and if one is set here then the media had better watch their backs in future.
we are all Nick Sandmann!!
I think the test case was Carol Burnett and the Enquirer 30 something years ago.
Should the not have gone full force at some smaller fish, won, then set some precedent to judges outcome then go big against WAPO?
“A settlement might hurt the Post financially but depositions and even a trial would hurt them much worse even if the payout is less.
The more important thing is the precedent that can be set.
Judges are fond of precedent and if one is set here then the media had better watch their backs in future.”
Well said. The manner in which this is handled can make all the difference in the world.
A billion always appealed to me as a nice, round number.
Nope. She would have been a ‘public figure’. Sandman is NOT.
In the 1950s Hollywood, there were some civil trials involving the “scandal sheets”. Some well-known actors and actresses were involved.
Why are people making this harder than it needs to be? Just follow the lesson of the frog and the scorpion.
Let Sandmann's lawyers play the process out at the normal legal pace, and keep an inventory of everything that WaPo does in the interim. Or, tell them that you're watching and documenting, and see if they can keep it together or crack under the pressure.
In either case, rely on WaPo to revert to form and smear the next conservative who comes into their crosshairs.
-PJ
If any one of the defendants appeal a verdict to the SC and lose “slip and fall” lawyers have a new gold mine.
>>Seems to me that someone’s who paid by the people to perform a job is not actually required to perform the job - using that flawed rationale, I certainly don’t see any reason for any court to hold a newspaper to any ‘journalistic standards.’<<
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The civil case against the WP isn’t about journalistic standards.
It’s about defamation of a private individual who is also a minor. That is definitely a matter for the courts.
I hope Sandmann spares no vengeance on the Catholic Church and the diocese of those bishops who so quickly and carelessly demonized him. I say this as a devout Catholic.
I'll put my money on Lin Wood.
I thought the Dems WANTED to take all of the riches money.
They always talk about the money made by the CEO of Walmart. He makes $20 million. 2 million people work for Walmart. If you take every penny of the CEO and give it to the workers you have given them each a raise of $20 for the year. Taking the money from all the billionaires will NOT pay for all the “free stuff” the dems want. (Ben Shapiro-youtube and learn).
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