NO CASE

Judge Tosses Rep. Nunes’ $435 Million Defamation Suit Against CNN

The judge said Nunes failed to request a retraction or point out inaccuracies in the report soon enough for his suit to have merit.

A judge tossed a $435 million defamation suit brought by Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA) against CNN late Friday. U.S. District Judge Laura Taylor Swain said Nunes failed to request a retraction or point out inaccuracies in the report soon enough for his suit to have merit. The legislator had alleged that the cable network knowingly published false statements by Rudy Giuliani’s pal Lev Parnas in a story about Nunes’ alleged involvement in efforts to procure damaging information on Joe Biden and his son Hunter. Nunes had declined to comment on the story when CNN emailed him prior to publication, and he never requested a retraction. He would be required to do so within 20 days of publication under California defamation law. CNN’s attorneys wrote, “Instead of denying the report before it was published, Rep. Nunes waited until it appeared and then filed this suit seeking more than $435 million in damages—labeling CNN ‘the mother of fake news.’ In his rush to sue, however, Rep. Nunes overlooked the need first to request a retraction.”