Wednesday, January 8, 2020

CNN Settles Defamation Lawsuit


CNN has agreed to settle a multi-million dollar defamation suit filed by Covington Catholic High School student Nick Sandmann over the network’s depiction of his 2019 encounter with Native American activists.

The NY Post reports the network is one of three news outlets named by the 16-year-old Kentucky student in a lawsuit seeking a combined $800 million in damages over what Sandmann claims were an unfair — and damaging — depiction of his encounter with Native American activists in Washington D.C. last January.

It is not known how much CNN is paying to settle the case.

Sandmann was part of a MAGA-cap-wearing group of students at an anti-abortion rally in Washington, DC on Jan. 18 when his confrontation with 64-year-old Native American activist — and ex-Marine — Nathan Phillips was picked up by CNN and other news outlets.

The teen was vilified on social media over the seemingly racially motivated footage, which showed mostly white teenage boys staring down and yelling at the demonstrators.

But additional footage released later showed it was the Convington students who were being accosted.

The suit, which includes a separate $250 million claim against the Washington Post, accused the paper, CNN and NBC Universal of targeting Sandmann because of his support for President Trump.

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