Judge throws out Trump's lawsuit against CNN

The Trump-appointed Judge ruled that "Big Lie" statements made by CNN were opinion, not defamation

By Kelly McClure

Nights & Weekends Editor

Published July 29, 2023 12:14PM (EDT)

Donald Trump (SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)
Donald Trump (SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)

On Friday, Trump-appointed U.S. District Judge Raag Singhal tossed the former president's $475 million defamation lawsuit against CNN, which accused the network of inciting "readers and viewers to hate, contempt, distrust, ridicule, and even fear" him during the height of his "Big Lie" era, according to Politico. Per their reporting, the judge "reasoned that because all of CNN's statements were opinion, Trump could not legally sue the network for defamation."

In response to Trump's claims that CNN "likened him to Adolf Hitler," and should therefore be punished, Singhal wrote in his dismissal, "The Court finds Nazi references in the political discourse (made by whichever 'side') to be odious and repugnant. But bad rhetoric is not defamation when it does not include false statements of fact. CNN's use of the phrase 'the Big Lie' in connection with Trump's election challenges does not give rise to a plausible inference that Trump advocates the persecution and genocide of Jews or any other group of people. No reasonable viewer could (or should) plausibly make that reference."

Trump's lawsuit was dismissed "with prejudice," which means that he will not be able to file another one singing the same tune. 


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