Judge tosses Nunes' libel suit against CNN

Source: The Hill | February 19, 2021 | Josh Gerstein

The case sought $435 million over a report that then-chair of House Intelligence Committee dug for Ukraine dirt on Biden.

A federal judge has thrown out a lawsuit Rep. Devin Nunes filed in 2019 claiming he was libeled by CNN in reports alleging he was involved in an effort to dig up Ukraine-related dirt on Joe Biden.

In a ruling Friday, U.S. District Court Judge Laura Taylor Swain granted the news network’s motion to dismiss the suit, which sought a whopping $435 million in damages.

CNN’s story asserted that a witness was prepared to testify that Nunes, then-chair of the House Intelligence Committee and a close ally of former President Donald Trump, met with former Ukrainian prosecutor Viktor Shokin in Vienna in 2018 to gather information that might be politically damaging to Biden.

Nunes adamantly denied the allegation and named CNN in a flurry of lawsuits he filed against news organizations in 2019.

CNN said it wasn’t vouching for the accuracy of the account about Nunes but was relaying testimony available from a witness to the matter, Lev Parnas, a businessman who worked closely with Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani.

Swain dismissed the suit against CNN on a technical ground: She found California law applied to the case and Nunes had failed to request a retraction as required under the laws of the Golden State. Nunes’ lawyer had argued that the laws of Virginia or Washington, D.C., should apply, but the judge said it made the most sense to apply the laws of Nunes’ home state to the dispute.

……..

Tagged: , , ,

Viewing 2 posts - 1 through 2 (of 2 total)
  • Discussion
  • Consistent February 19, 2021 at 8:39 pm #47507

    Consistent February 19, 2021 at 8:40 pm #47508

Viewing 2 posts - 1 through 2 (of 2 total)

You must be logged in to reply to this topic.