A federal choose dismissed Donald Trump’s $475 million defamation lawsuit towards CNN late Friday. The infamously litigious former president claimed that the community’s use of the phrase “The Huge Lie” to explain his fraudulent election claims amounted to defamation by likening him to Adolf Hitler.
“Being ‘Hitler-like’ is just not a verifiable assertion of truth that may help a defamation declare,” U.S. District Choose Raag Singhal, who Trump appointed in 2019, wrote in his dismissal. “CNN’s statements, whereas repugnant, weren’t, as a matter of legislation, defamatory.”
Trump filed the go well with final October in a Fort Lauderdale, Florida district the place 4 of the 5 sitting judges have been his personal appointees. On the time, he steered related authorized actions towards different media firms have been within the works. Trump had beforehand sued The New York Occasions and The Washington Put up for his or her protection of him.
The CNN go well with alleged that the “Huge Lie” phrase had been used roughly 7,700 occasions on the community since January 2021, and cited examples from host Jake Tapper, former commentator Chris Cillizza, and historian Ruth Ben-Ghiat. Trump’s legal professionals additionally cited a 2022 documentary through which host Fareed Zakaria juxtaposed a few of Trump’s feedback with footage of Adolf Hitler, in addition to an interview through which singer Linda Ronstadt in contrast Trump’s America with Nazi Germany.
“The Court docket finds Nazi references within the political discourse (made by whichever ‘aspect’) to be odious and repugnant. However unhealthy rhetoric is just not defamation when it doesn’t embody false statements of truth.” Singhal wrote in his resolution. “CNN’s use of the phrase ‘the Huge Lie’ in reference to Trump’s election challenges doesn’t give rise to a believable inference that Trump advocates the persecution and genocide of Jews or every other group of individuals. No affordable viewer may (or ought to) plausibly make that reference.”
Considerably mockingly, a number of months earlier than the lawsuit was filed, then-recently employed (and now former) CNN CEO Chris Licht reportedly discouraged employees from utilizing the phrase as a part of the community’s flip to the middle.
Friday’s ruling marks the second time Singhal has dominated in favor of CNN in a defamation case this yr. The Florida choose additionally oversaw former Trump lawyer and retired Harvard Regulation professor Alan Dershowitz’s $300 million defamation go well with towards the community, which stemmed from CNN’s protection of Dershowitz’s protection of Trump throughout his first impeachment trial. Singhal dominated in favor of the community in April.
