Jurors began considering whether to hold the New York Times liable for defaming Sarah Palin, after her lawyer on Friday accused the newspaper of falsely associating her in a 2017 editorial with a mass murder, a link that a Times lawyer called an honest mistake reports Reuters..
In his closing argument in federal court in Manhattan, Palin's lawyer Kenneth Turkel said the Times and its former editorial page editor, James Bennet, turned a "blind eye" to the facts as it smeared the reputation of Palin, a former Alaska governor and 2008 Republican U.S. vice presidential candidate.
"The Times resurrected a horrific, false accusation (that) in its simplest form accused Governor Palin of inciting the murder of six people," he said. "She's got thick skin. This one crossed the line."
He also said Palin did not show it harmed her reputation, citing her continued public appearances after it was published.
"The criticism was of the New York Times for messing something up," Axelrod said. "You saw no evidence that anyone criticized Governor Palin for what was written in the editorial. None, zip, zilch."
He also urged jurors to consider the need for a robust press to cover news and express opinion, citing protections afforded by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
Jurors will resume deliberations on Monday, after meeting for 2-1/4 hours on Friday. The trial has lasted seven days.
First Amendment experts are closely watching Palin's case, which touches on longstanding protections for U.S. news media against defamation claims by public figures.
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