Zimmerman is a public figure, Levine said, and could not prove that he was the victim of “actual malice”, meaning that NBC employees either knew what they reported was false or had serious misgivings about it.
In her ruling, issued shortly before 9 a.m. today, Nelson wrote that that’s where Zimmerman’s suit fell apart.
“There exists absolutely no clear and convincing evidence that defendants knew that the information published was false at the time it was published, or recklessly disregarded the truth or falsity of those statements. …,” she wrote.
He was a public figure because he was pilloried in public, based on those fake audios. Did the people preparing the audios know that they were fake when they were faking them, or did they have serious misgivings about faking them?
Isn’t it a ridiculous assertion, that within a month;s time, and while you are on trial, and presumed innocent until proven guilty, you can become a “public figure” instead of an ordinary citizen?
That is laughable if it wasn’t so sad.
Nelson needs to be disbarred.She is a noxious boil on the judiciary system.
There the evidence that they knew what the originals said, and knew that they changed them to something else.