Sarah Palin Suing New York Times For Defamation

Daily Caller ^

[ameribbean expat]

Sarah Palin is suing the New York Times for defamation, according to documents filed on Tuesday obtained by The Daily Caller.

The lawsuit has to do with an editorial the NYT ran on June 14 that falsely smeared Palin as inciting the 2011 shooting of Democratic Rep. Gabby Giffords by a mentally ill man who had been obsessed with Giffords for years. There is no evidence to support the NYT’s implication that Palin played a role in inciting the Giffords shooting.

“Mrs. Palin brings this action to hold The Times accountable for defaming her by publishing a statement about her that it knew to be false: that Mrs. Palin was responsible for inciting a mass shooting at a political event in January 2011,” Palin’s suit states.

“Specifically, on June 14, 2017, The Times Editorial Board, which represents the ‘voice’ of The Times, falsely stated as a matter of fact to millions of people that Mrs. Palin incited Jared Loughner’s January 8, 2011, shooting rampage at a political event in Tucson, Arizona, during which he shot nineteen people, severely wounding United States Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, and killing six, including Chief U.S. District Court Judge John Roll and a nine-year-old girl.”

[Does so]

There was NO EXCUSE for this editorial, none.

Agreed: But isn't editorial space provided for free expression?

[ak267]

Good for her. The LW files 30+ suits against her just to get her to resign as governor. Its about time she returns fire.

---

Each bogus ethics complaint in Alaska (under the laws at that time in which Gov. Palin was on the hook to pay) would result in about 20k in legal costs. Once a case was dismissed a new one would pop up...and the complaints were downright petty often signed by bogus names. There were NO penalties to those who submitted a false complaint.

To add insult to injury there was even an ethics complaint about her legal defense fund. The prosecutor of the complaint was an former Obama lawyer. The result was that Palin’s lawyers had to rework the verbage of her fund to meet the new requirements forcing her legal team to REFUND the donations. That, along with countless document requests and “friends” running to the tall grass, was the last straw.

According to her husband, they had over 600k in legal bills...and her yearly salary as governor was only 135k.

Also, there was a group of dedicated lefties call the “Alaskan Mud Flats” who openly admitted that their goal was to bankrupt Governor Palin.

[ak267]

One more thing.

To add salt to the wounds, the Alaska ethics laws were changed to tighten up the complaint procedures AND to give a governor access to lawyers (paid by the state).

....but the law was changed SIX MONTHS AFTER Palin left office.

[Radagast the Fool]

Here’s hoping Our Sarah has major barracudas for lawyers!! :)
GO, SARAH!! GET ‘EM, GIRL!!!

[jocon307]

“But isn’t editorial space provided for free expression?”

This was an official editorial by the staff of the newspaper, not an opinion piece written by an independant author. It was an “official” article by the newspaper itself.

I feel certain she’ll collect on this one. I know these suits by “public persons” against “media” are hard to win, but I truly think Palin’s got this one in a bag. I’m pretty sure I’d think that even if I were the world’s biggest leftie. If I were honest about it.

[Nextrush]

Good for Sarah Palin.

Israeli general, politician and PM Ariel Sharon won a lot of money years ago when he was demonized as a “war criminal” for his actions as Israel’s Defense Minister.

If my memory serves me correct he sued “Time” magazine successfully for defaming him.

From my study of media law and I am a media journalism graduate with a BA in those fields and former MSM employee, the way to prove it in court is to uncover malicious intent within the media organization.

Nasty conversations, nasty opinions offered in the workplace and other places about Sarah Palin.

[GOP Poet]

Go Sarah!!!! Long time coming!!

[realcleanguy]

So, yes, I remembering reading all that. It appears that is what the Democrats are trying to do to Trump now. Bringing up bogus allegations, pointless investigations and forcing him and all his staff to retain lawyers, costing them hundreds of thousands of dollars. And its forcing people to abandon Trump. So Palin was a dry run at doing this to a President?

[Eagle Forgotten]

The outcome may depend on where she is filing.

She filed in federal court for the Southern District of New York. The judges on that court are a mix of Democratic and Republican appointees; one will be assigned to the case by random selection.

Palin's bigger worry about the locale is that the pool of prospective jurors is heavily Democratic. The counties of Manhattan and the Bronx have been solidly blue since before we called such places blue. Westchester was historically Republican but has flipped; Clinton beat Trump, 65%-31%. The remaining (upstate) counties in the district are less populous and more evenly divided.

She'll also have a problem proving damages. Sorry to disappoint the "take them for all they're worth" crowd, but that's not how the law works. If she were to win, which is by no means certain (the editorial might be protected opinion), she would not get punitive damages. Her damage award would be whatever amount would fairly compensate her for the harm she suffered. Did she lose any lucrative speaking engagements because of this? I doubt it. There's a good chance she'd recover only $1 nominal damages plus reimbursement of expenses (including court filing fees but NOT including attorney's fees).

[jonrick46]

The lawsuit asks for a minimum of $75,000. $75,000? That's just peanuts for the New York Times. I would make it really painful. Make them learn a lesson that free speech does not mean liable.

These defamation cases cost millions in settlements. Jesse Ventura, for instance, got $1.845 million in damages against the late Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle who said he punched Ventura out in a bar in 2006. First lady Melania Trump filed a $150 million libel suit against a Maryland blogger over a report he published last summer about claims that Trump worked as a "high-end escort." It was reported that she was awarded an undisclosed high amount of money. Burke Ramsey, JonBenét’s brother, sues CBS in a $750 million defamation suit. This case, filed in December, 2016, has yet to go to trial.

So, defamation of character can be costly. I say that Sarah Palin should sue the New York Times for at least $150 million.

[firebrand]

Today's Times front page is hilarious. I was so eager to see the lede story about the Supreme Court decision and what do I see in huge type in the upper right?

OFFICIAL ESTIMATE IMPERILS SUPPORT FOR HEALTH BILL

Wha . . .???

Oh there it is, over on the left in much smaller type: "Taking Up Case, Justices Let U.S. Start Travel Ban." But observe the revenge of the pro-Trump makeup editor: A gorgeous huge photo of President Trump, looking real good.

Can you believe the gall, to make a biased estimate the lede story when there has been a historic SCOTUS decision?

I can't wait to see the cake baker decision. "Cake Case Takes Court Back to the Culture Wars," just slightly above the fold, gives an eerily comical presage of what is to come. Better than Mad magazine.

[firebrand]

There was even a story that the shooter’s real object was the judge who was shot also, because the shooter was angry at some decision by this judge agreeing with Obama’s undermining the ability to possess gold.

Wins the How Convoluted Can You Get? prize!

[lonevoice]

Go get ‘em, Sarah!

[meadsjn]

Hit ‘em for fifty million.

That's the idea. It has to hurt enough to eventually shut them down.

[Pride in the USA]

Excellent!

[KC_Lion]

"From my study of media law and I am a media journalism graduate with a BA in those fields and former MSM employee, the way to prove it in court is to uncover malicious intent within the media organization.

Nasty conversations, nasty opinions offered in the workplace and other places about Sarah Palin."

Thank You for the insight Nextrush.

Covering malicious intent would be a great topic for someone like Sharyl Attkisson.

Sarah Palin has be viciously attacked by people who scream for female role models.

I literally get sick thinking about it >:(