The $250 million lawsuit filed by Nick Sandmann against The Washington Post has been dismissed by a federal judge.
U.S. District Judge William Bertelsman, who heard oral arguments earlier this month, issued the ruling on Friday in the case that garnered national attention. Nick became
embroiled in a divisive response to an encounter between him, his Covington Catholic High classmates and Native Americans on the National Mall.
The Washington Post, in a statement, said it was pleased by the dismissal.
“From our first story on this incident to our last, we sought to report fairly and accurately the facts that could be established from available evidence, the perspectives of all of the participants, and the comments of the responsible church and school officials,” The Post said through a spokesperson.
The Sandmann family plans to appeal Bertelsman’s ruling, according to a statement sent to The Enquirer by Nick’s attorneys, Todd McMurtry and L. Lin Wood.
The January encounter led to threats lobbed at Nick, who would later appear on national television to say he felt he’d done nothing wrong.
“I believe fighting for justice for my son and family is of vital national importance,” said Nick’s father, Ted Sandmann, in a statement. “If what was done to Nicholas is not legally actionable, then no one is safe.”
But David Marburger, a Cleveland-based attorney who spent decades representing various media outlets, agreed with the ruling, saying he questioned the validity of Nick’s claim from the outset.
The January encounter led to threats lobbed at Nick, who would later appear on national television to say he felt he’d done nothing wrong.
“I believe fighting for justice for my son and family is of vital national importance,” said Nick’s father, Ted Sandmann, in a statement. “If what was done to Nicholas is not legally actionable, then no one is safe.”
But David Marburger, a Cleveland-based attorney who spent decades representing various media outlets, agreed with the ruling, saying he questioned the validity of Nick’s claim from the outset.
“As a libel lawyer, I thought his claims were quite weak,” Marburger said, “so it’s renewed confidence in the judiciary that the judge would dismiss this case … by applying the settled law to the allegedly libelous publication. And rule in favor of the press.”
Nick and his attorneys had alleged that the gist of The Washington Post’s first article conveyed that Nick had assaulted or physically intimidated Nathan Phillips and engaged in racist conduct.
cited here.
Scroll down to leave a comment:
