Michael J. Gottlieb is part of a cadre of lawyers deploying defamation, one of the oldest areas of the law, against a tide of political disinformation.
  • Optional@lemmy.worldEnglish
    124·
    9 months ago

    In January the lawyer Roberta Kaplan defeated former President Donald J. Trump in court when a jury ordered him to pay $83 million for defaming her client, E. Jean Carroll, a writer he sexually abused.

    Raped. He raped her. NYT, you think you won’t win the frivolous suit the demented rapist will bring? Or are you just doing the usual hedging-on-the-conservative-side that you do to stay ingratiated with money.

    Yeah. You’re not brave, NYT.

  • Kissaki@feddit.deEnglish
    5·
    9 months ago

    “The cost of bringing a defamation suit to trial can be enormous, often exceeding a quarter-million dollars’ worth of expenses, to say nothing of the value of attorney time,” […]

    Mr. Gottlieb and his team refer to their cases as a “hobby” in service to […]

    Insane.

    Given the spread and damage of misinformation, maybe it’s time for state prosecution to not only pursue physical danger criminals, but also system society relevant destabliators.

    • mindbleachEnglish
      21·
      9 months ago

      The flipside is British defamation law, where assholes can silence criticism if it harms their “reputation.” Like JK Rowling coercing an apology out of a Twitter user who said her anti-trans rhetoric was once used by the Nazis.

      Admittedly the US is less likely to suffer that, exactly, because we recognize truth is an absolute defense against libel. If awareness of your actions harms your reputation… that’s what reputation is for.