Trump-Appointed Judge Tosses Ex-POTUS's Lawsuit Against CNN

By Conover Kennard — July 30, 2023

There is some bad news for Trump as a federal judge in Florida tossed out the twice-indicted former President's defamation lawsuit against CNN, in which he claimed that the network's use of the term "the Big Lie" associates him with Hitler.

Poltico's Kyle Cheney said that Judge Ragg Singhal dismissed the lawsuit with prejudice, which means it can't be refiled.

OVERNIGHT: A federal judge (appointed by Donald Trump) dismissed Trump’s lawsuit claiming CNN defamed him by using the phrase “The Big Lie,” which Trump says implicitly compares him to Hitler.

Lawsuit dismissed *with* prejudice. https://t.co/Y4goldofbY pic.twitter.com/ReJdmssJ2o

— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) July 29, 2023

The judge, Raag Singhal, made clear he is NOT a fan of the media and made some conclusory statements about how reporters operate (and how he says TV viewers respond).

But he said NYT v Sullivan is binding on him. https://t.co/Y4goldofbY pic.twitter.com/HXN6LvEUvH

— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) July 29, 2023

To defame someone, a statement must be “provably false,” Singhal noted. And even if CNN were saying Trump is “Hitler-like” it’s pure opinion

“Being ‘Hitler-like’ is not a verifiable statement of fact that would support a defamation claim,” the judge wrote https://t.co/Y4goldofbY

— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) July 29, 2023

Last year, Trump launched the lawsuit against CNN for defamation and asked for compensatory damages over $75,000 and punitive damages of $475 million.

According to CBS, he claimed that CNN has harmed his reputation with "false, defamatory, and inflammatory mischaracterizations of him" and that the network's conduct "is intended to interfere with [his] political career."

Sound familiar?

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