Freedom of Smear: Judge Rules Against Covington Kid, In Favor of Arrogant WashPost [UD: Case Reope

[rangerrebew]

Freedom of Smear: Judge Rules Against Covington Kid, In Favor of Arrogant WashPost
By Tim Graham | July 27, 2019 7:41 PM EDT

A federal judge in Kentucky has ruled in favor of The Washington Post and against Covington Catholic High School student Nicholas Sandmann over the paper's mishandling of the January confrontation by the Lincoln Memorial in Washington with Native American activist Nathan Phillips. Leftists made a viral video claiming Sandmann was somehow mocking Phillips by standing still and smirking.

Federal judge William O. Bertlesman showed some sympathy for what happened to Sandmann:

    "The Court accepts Sandmann's statement that, when he was standing motionless in the confrontation with Phillips, his intent was to calm the situation and not to impede or block anyone. However, Phillips did not see it that way. He concluded that he was being 'blocked' and not allowed to 'retreat.' He passed these conclusions on to The Post. They may have been erroneous, but as discussed above, they are opinion protected by the First Amendment. And The Post is not liable for publishing these opinions."

 

Source URL: https://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/nb/tim-graham/2019/07/27/freedom-smear-judge-rules-against-covington-kid-favor-arrogant

[Polly Ticks]

The Covington Catholic Teen Lost His First Court Battle, But Will Probably Win His Next

On Friday, a federal judge in Kentucky tossed Nicholas Sandmann’s defamation case against the Washington Post. Sandmann, the Covington Catholic student smeared by the Post and many other outlets earlier this year as a smirking, MAGA-hat-wearing racist who had blocked Native American elder Nathan Phillips’s path, promises an appeal.

On appeal, Sandmann is likely to win. I’ll lay out why, after a quick review of what happened.

https://thefederalist.com/2019/07/29/covington-catholic-teen-lost-first-court-battle-will-probably-win-next/

[PeteS in CA]

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2019/oct/28/nick-sandmann-covington-catholic-student-washingto/

Judge reopens Covington Catholic teen's $250 million lawsuit against Washington Post

A federal judge in Kentucky has reopened the $250 million defamation case filed by a Covington Catholic student against the Washington Post after dismissing it in July, allowing the lawsuit to proceed but narrowing its focus.

U.S. District Court Judge William Bertelsman agreed to permit discovery on three of 33 allegedly libelous statements in the Post’s coverage of the Jan. 18 incident pertaining to teenager Nicholas Sandmann. The Post has insisted that its reporting was fair and accurate.