Media Companies Must Face Coal Executive's $12 Billion Libel Suit

Don Blankenship alleges that he lost a race for U.S. Senate because he was called a "felon."

His suit concerns the aftermath of a 2015 trial where he faced charges related a 2010 explosion at one of his company's mines. A jury found him not guilty of the most serious counts, but he was convicted of a misdemeanor for conspiring to violate safety standards. The reason why big media outlets are now defendants largely comes down references to him as a "felon" or "convicted felon" — a technically imprecise assessment given that he was cleared of the felony charges.

We won't fully go through all 80 pages of the opinion , but Judge Copenhaver repeatedly comes to conclusion that Blankenship can state a viable claim for defamation. He shrugs off the defendants' contention that challenged statements were substantially true, and drawing inferences, accepts that Blankenship can plausibly allege that defendants published statements with actual malice.

United Kingdom United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom United Kingdom Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

Research documents China's COVID-19 social media campaign - Business InsiderChina's social media propaganda machine has tried to shift the country's image from a source of COVID-19 to a global leader in fighting it, research reveals Oh it’s propaganda when China speaks up for itself and their SUCCESSFUL holistic treatments but when Trump and his Russian pimps take over a nation the word propaganda doesn’t exist. Terrible headline 🤷🏻‍♀️ ChineseVirus ChinaLiedPeopleDie Who else wants to be the leader, take it immediately please, the world’s dying lives are waiting for your ICU beds, medical supplies, antibiotics,respirators and ECMOs, China will thank you and handclap for your new role.
Source: BusinessInsider - 🏆 729. / 51 Read more »