Supreme Court turns away coal baron's defamation claim against news companies

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: NBC News

Oct. 10, 2023, 9:51 AM EDT


WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to consider overturning a landmark case that gives protections to news organizations facing defamation claims by rejecting an appeal brought by West Virginia coal baron Don Blankenship.

Blankenship, also an erstwhile Republican Senate candidate, sued various news organizations for referring to him as a convicted felon when in fact he was convicted of a misdemeanor in relation to a mining disaster in 2010 that killed 29 miners. He claimed that his loss in the 2018 Republican Senate primary in West Virginia was attributable to the erroneous comments repeated in the media, which he suggested were deliberate.

Among the defendants is MSNBC, a division of NBCUniversal, which also owns NBC News. CNN, Fox News and the Washington Post are among other news organizations that were sued.

Blankenship asked the court to overturn the 1964 Supreme Court defamation ruling in New York Times v. Sullivan, which concluded that there must be evidence of “actual malice” for a public figure to pursue a defamation claim.

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/supreme-court-turns-away-coal-barons-defamation-claim-news-companies-rcna118036

[groundloop]

1. What an ass.... his greed/negligence killed 29 men and he's worried about his reputation !!!!!!

[Eugene]

2. Justice Clarence Thomas...

The Supreme Court rejects an appeal from former coal company CEO Don Blankenship (Associated Press)

Justice Clarence Thomas, while agreeing with the court’s action Tuesday, repeated his call for the court to overturn its landmark 1964 libel ruling in New York Times v. Sullivan.

https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-west-virginia-blankenship-defamation-f4fa16f9ee5b643f661a7a7f449e1f1c

[elleng]

3. This is a BFD, re: precedent that concluded there must be evidence of "actual malice" stands.

New York Times v. Sullivan,

*The justices decline to consider overturning 1964 precedent that concluded there must be evidence of “actual malice” for a public figure to pursue a defamation claim.

Conservative Justice Clarence Thomas, who has previously said the court should consider overturning the 1964 ruling, wrote a brief opinion saying he agreed with the decision not to hear Blankenship's specific claim.

"I continue to adhere to my view that we should reconsider the actual malice standard," he added.

Fellow conservative Justice Neil Gorsuch has also previously suggested that the precedent, which makes it harder for public figures to bring defamation claims, should be overturned.'

[Voltaire2]

4. anytime this court does something halfway reasonable, I'm just waiting for that other shoe. NT

[orleans]

7. same nt

[Old Crank]

5. Don't call him a felon

Remind the voters that he killed 29 of his workers.

[calimary]

6. Fair enough.

[Jimvanhise]

8. HE'S STILL A CRIMINAL

His mine had so many safety violations that the miners wanted to institute a union for their own protection. Blankenship said that if they got a union he'd shut down the mine and they'd all lose their jobs, an action which is a violation of labor law. When his reckless actions led to a cave-in, he claimed that it was an earthquake even though not a single seismograph anywhere recorded an earthquake there. He still claims that to this day. Also, the word "felon" is an often used short hand for a convicted criminal, which Blankenship is.

[muriel_volestrangler]

9. I think most people think something you can get a year in prison for sounds like a 'felony'

not just a 'misdemeanor'.

Maybe the thing to do is call people like him "a criminal", or "a convict", if you're writing a factual piece. The rest of us can call him a killer.

[tonekat]

10. He sounds like TFG

"Wahhhhhh, change the rules for me to get my revenge!"

He should be buried deep in one of his mines.

[Sentath]

11. Colbert Clip:

[SunSeeker]

12. Add this to the list of shitty things Blankenship did that ruined his reputation.

He killed 29 people in his death trap mines and he's pissed that media reported it as a felony instead of a misdemeanor, as if that mistake about a charging classification makes those 29 any less dead. What a fucking asshole.

[Mysterian]

13. Thomas is a simpering bootlicker

for the class of very rich people in the USA who wish to be nobility and above any public criticism.