11th Circuit tosses Alan Dershowitz defamation claims against CNN [View all]

(CN) — An 11th Circuit panel shot down a $300 million defamation suit against CNN on Friday brought by a prominent lawyer who represented President Donald Trump in impeachment proceedings.

Alan Dershowitz, a retired Harvard University law professor and practicing criminal defense lawyer, asked the federal appeals court to revive his claims that the cable news network defamed him. A federal judge in Florida dismissed Dershowitz’s lawsuit in 2023.

In Friday’s opinion, the panel concluded Dershowitz failed to prove that any untrue statements were knowingly made by the network’s commentors or producers to destroy his reputation, as required for liability under the 1964 U.S. Supreme Court decision’s in New York Times Co. v. Sullivan.

“For a public figure like Dershowitz to prevail, defamation law has long required proof of a speaker’s actual malice: knowledge of or reckless disregard for the falsity of a statement,” U.S. Circuit Judge Britt Grant wrote for the unanimous opinion.

“But here, the available evidence points to the reporters’ sincere — if mistaken or even overwrought — belief in the truth of their accusations. Dershowitz has presented no evidence that shows otherwise,” the Donald Trump appointee added.

https://www.courthousenews.com/11th-circuit-tosses-alan-dershowitz-defamation-claims-against-cnn/