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Sidney Powell Says She's Not Guilty of Defamation Because 'No Reasonable Person' Would Have Believed Her 'Outlandish' Election Conspiracy Theory
Reason ^ | 03/23/2021 | Jacob Sullum

Posted on 03/25/2021 5:58:32 AM PDT by thegagline

Former Trump campaign lawyer Sidney Powell yesterday responded to the $1.3 billion defamation lawsuit that Dominion Voting Systems filed after she repeatedly accused the company of participating in an elaborate international conspiracy to deny Donald Trump his rightful victory in last year's presidential election. Her defense, more or less, is that she did not really mean what she said.

True, Powell claimed over and over again that Dominion rigged voting machines to manufacture "millions" of votes for Joe Biden. She fingered a specific Dominion executive as largely responsible for the scheme, claimed the plot had its roots in fraud-facilitating software that had helped keep Venezuelan strongman Hugo Chavez in power, and said China, Cuba, and George Soros were also in on it. But "no reasonable person would conclude that the statements were truly statements of fact," Powell says in her motion to dismiss the lawsuit. Powell also argues that the preposterousness of her allegations should protect her from civil liability for damaging Dominion's reputation. "Plaintiffs themselves characterize the statements at issue as 'wild accusations' and 'outlandish claims,'" she notes. "They are repeatedly labelled 'inherently improbable' and even 'impossible.' Such characterizations of the allegedly defamatory statements further support Defendants' position that reasonable people would not accept such statements as fact but view them only as claims that await testing by the courts through the adversary process." ***

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


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Cuba; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: cuba; election; fraud; ibtz; jacobsullum; noob; partisanmediashill; partisanmediashills; powell; reason; sidneypowell; troll; trollalert; worksforthednc
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Having read numerous briefs submitted by Powell, it was evident that she was not to be taken seriously.
1 posted on 03/25/2021 5:58:32 AM PDT by thegagline
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To: thegagline

I still think there were a lot of illegal votes in that election. At issue is not their existence, but the inability to prove it. To me, it just proves the Dems are very skilled at cheating.


2 posted on 03/25/2021 6:00:51 AM PDT by econjack
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To: thegagline

Oh judges must really like that humor. She lost all credibility.


3 posted on 03/25/2021 6:01:22 AM PDT by Jolla
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To: thegagline

She is calling millions of people unreasonable. At this point, I hope she ends up living on the street.


4 posted on 03/25/2021 6:01:41 AM PDT by dynachrome ("I will not be reconstructed, and I do not give a damn.")
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To: thegagline

So WTF was she doing?


5 posted on 03/25/2021 6:01:42 AM PDT by Sans-Culotte (11/3-11/4/2020 - The USA became a banana republic.)
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To: Jolla

“Oh judges must really like that humor. She lost all credibility.”

The old don’t believe me I’m a liar defense?

She deserves to lose a lot of money along with that credibility.


6 posted on 03/25/2021 6:02:34 AM PDT by brownsfan (Term limits! Without term limits, we are doomed.)
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To: thegagline

“Having read numerous briefs submitted by Powell, it was evident that she was not to be taken seriously.”

I disagree, and this piece of crap you posted needed a barf alert


7 posted on 03/25/2021 6:02:52 AM PDT by enumerated
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To: thegagline

Welcome to Free Republic.


8 posted on 03/25/2021 6:04:39 AM PDT by kiryandil (China Joe and Paycheck Hunter - the Chink in America's defenses)
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To: Sans-Culotte

She’s quoting Dems so when they said no reasonable person would take her seriously how can they then claim harm?

So she is using the Dems words against them.


9 posted on 03/25/2021 6:04:40 AM PDT by where's_the_Outrage? (Drain the Swamp. Build the Wall.)
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To: enumerated

Wow, simply amazing that it took all the way to your reply (#7) for some sanity, and recognition for what this is.

Fake news here.


10 posted on 03/25/2021 6:05:13 AM PDT by C210N (You can trust government or you can understand history. But you CANNOT do both.)
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To: enumerated

Yes, this is a steaming pile for The Usual Suspects.


11 posted on 03/25/2021 6:05:21 AM PDT by kiryandil (China Joe and Paycheck Hunter - the Chink in America's defenses)
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To: thegagline

She just needs to cite the coverage of the fake news media telling the world she was delusional, crazy, and all this was nonsense...


12 posted on 03/25/2021 6:05:43 AM PDT by eyeamok (founded in cynicism, wrapped in sarcasm)
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To: thegagline

I would love to know what Rush’s thoughts are on this.


13 posted on 03/25/2021 6:06:19 AM PDT by HotKat (Politicians are like diapers; they need to be changed often and for the same reason. Mark Twain)
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To: C210N

see my post #11

post #8 was the initial flip-off


14 posted on 03/25/2021 6:06:31 AM PDT by kiryandil (China Joe and Paycheck Hunter - the Chink in America's defenses)
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To: thegagline
I think the story is fake news. From Powell's team on Telegram:

"- This defamation lawsuit is yet another attempt to silence critics and citizens who want to investigate voter fraud. The statements Dominion claims are defamatory are actually protected speech under the First Amendment because they deal with matters of public concern, i.e., election integrity. The Fake News media and their allies are spinning meritless claims because their arguments have neither the facts nor the law needed to hold up in a courtroom.

- The statements complained of are also protected because Dominion is a public figure and must prove that Ms. Powell acted with malice. This is impossible, as Ms. Powell’s lawyer has explained, because Ms. Powell’s statements were based on sworn affidavits, declarations, expert reports and documentary evidence. She presented this evidence for all to see in four court filings and on her website.

FAKE NEWS

- Contrary to what the Fake News is pushing, Sidney did NOT claim in court that ‘no reasonable person would believe her claims’. The press is using twisted legalese and manipulating the legal standard to confuse the issue, as they have done before in other high-profile cases. Ms. Powell’s statements were legal opinions that she stands behind, as they were based on sworn affidavits, declarations, expert reports and documentary evidence.

- Dominion claims that the evidence Ms. Powell relied upon to assert her claims concerning the lack of election integrity is incredible and not believable. Ms. Powell responded by pointing out that her assertions were her legal opinions based on the evidence she presented to four different courts. Accordingly, her statements are not subject to challenge under defamation law."

15 posted on 03/25/2021 6:08:05 AM PDT by Tennessee Conservative
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To: thegagline

She’ll be lucky if she lands a job mopping floors at MacDonalds after this.


16 posted on 03/25/2021 6:08:54 AM PDT by Sirius Lee (They intend to murder us. Prep if you want to live and live like you are prepping for eternal life)
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To: thegagline

I think she offers a solid defense considering she’s a KooK only taken seriously by fellow KooKs.


17 posted on 03/25/2021 6:10:05 AM PDT by JonPreston (Q: Never have so many, been so wrong, so often)
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To: Sirius Lee

I think these people were out there to deliberatly sabotage Trump.

Wonder when her check from Soros will clear?


18 posted on 03/25/2021 6:10:21 AM PDT by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: thegagline

I believe the election was rigged and Dominion was all over it - they just covered their tracks so well it’s going to be impossible for Powell to prove - and she knows it.

If Dominion goes ahead, she is in deep trouble.


19 posted on 03/25/2021 6:10:47 AM PDT by Bon of Babble (Rigged Elections have Consequences)
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To: thegagline

People are being stupid. Dominion started in their filing that her claims were outlandish, impossible, and completely not believable. And she is merely making a legal argument that if no reasonable person would find her claim plausible, then dominion wasn’t defamed and there is nothing to test in court.

She isn’t backing down and her claims were accurate. But she is merely using he words of dominion against them in a legal sense.


20 posted on 03/25/2021 6:11:03 AM PDT by DesertRhino (Dog is man's best friend, and moslems hate dogs. Add that up. .... )
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