Nick Sandmann Notified – Judge Decides in Shocking Verdict
(DailyVantage.com) – In January 2019, Nicholas Sandmann made headlines across the country as media outlets tried to portray him as an instigator against an elderly Native American, Nathan Phillips, during the Indigenous Peoples March. It wasn’t long before the truth came out, in the form of video evidence: Phillips approached the student. As a result, the teenager sued, claiming media outlets defamed him. CNN and The Washington Post settled with the young man, but he took other news organizations to court. The court handed down a ruling on Tuesday, July 26, on the matter.
Sandmann took several media outlets to court, including The New York Times, CBS, ABC, Gannett, and Rolling Stone, suing them for defamation. A federal judge in the Eastern District of Kentucky ruled against the plaintiff in a summary judgment.
Sandmann said he’ll appeal the decision and listed his reasons in a Twitter thread.
Thread: Obviously, the ruling yesterday was a disappointment for my family and I. I’m appealing the decision in the sixth circuit.
Here’s why:
— Nicholas Sandmann (@N1ckSandmann) July 28, 2022
At the heart of the matter is whether or not Nathan Phillips’ words are opinion or fact. Although the First Amendment protects opinions, it doesn’t extend that same protection to misrepresentations of fact.
Nicholas Sandmann isn’t the only one to consider suing the media in recent times. The press and politicians widely demonized Kyle Rittenhouse, implying he was a White supremacist. Rittenhouse is reportedly considering whether to file civil torts to remedy his damages. Rittenhouse hadn’t filed any lawsuits as of the time of writing, but the recent ruling in the defamation case could dissuade him from moving forward.
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