NBC Quietly Settles Defamation Lawsuit Against MSNBC

NBCUniversal discreetly resolved a $30 million defamation lawsuit brought by a Georgia physician after MSNBC's prominent personalities—Rachel Maddow, Nicolle Wallace, and Chris Hayes—incorrectly labeled him the "uterus collector" and accused him of conducting "mass hysterectomies" on female detainees at an immigration facility during Donald Trump's initial presidency.

On Thursday, the network reached a settlement for an undisclosed amount, averting a jury trial set to commence on April 22 in Georgia's Southern District. The lawsuit stemmed from sensational 2020 MSNBC reports claiming that Mahendra Amin, branded the "uterus collector" by network hosts, performed unwarranted and unauthorized gynecological procedures, including hysterectomies, on immigrant women at an ICE detention center.

Maddow, Wallace, and Hayes vigorously promoted these allegations, which originated from a whistleblower complaint and became a focal point of MSNBC's reporting on purported abuses under Trump's immigration policies. Amin filed a defamation suit against MSNBC in September 2021, refuting claims that he had carried out any unnecessary medical interventions.

This case's resolution is the latest notable settlement involving a progressive media outlet. Last month, CNN settled a significant defamation lawsuit after a Florida jury ruled that the network defamed Navy veteran Zachary Young by depicting him as an "illegal profiteer" operating in a "black market" while he aided Afghan evacuations during the tumultuous U.S. withdrawal. CNN was ordered to pay Young $5 million for economic and emotional damages, with additional confidential punitive damages included in the settlement. Meanwhile, CBS News is reportedly considering a settlement with Trump over his lawsuit regarding the network's careless editing of Kamala Harris's pre-election 60 Minutes interview.

A federal judge determined last year that MSNBC hosts made 39 "verifiably false" statements about Amin, ruling that a jury could reasonably find the network acted with "actual malice." Internal NBC documents exposed persistent doubts among reporters about the whistleblower's claims, yet the story aired regardless. Discovery revealed emails and texts showing early skepticism from journalists, including Maddow and Hayes.

Documents from the discovery process indicated that Maddow—who was deposed for the lawsuit—and Hayes were unusually involved in off-camera vetting and editorial discussions for on-air talent. 

The controversy originated with a September 15, 2020, NBC News article by homeland security reporter Julia Ainsley, immigration correspondent Jacob Soboroff (who reports for both NBC News and MSNBC), and national reporter Danielle Silva, who focuses on immigration and education. The trio obtained a whistleblower complaint from Dawn Wooten, a former nurse at the ICE facility, and interviewed her. Their subsequent story claimed that "women are routinely being sent to a gynecologist who has left them bruised and performed unnecessary procedures, including hysterectomies."