Lawsuits Against Lying Right-wingers (Not Voting Machines)

[LFC]

Gateway Pundit is getting sued for its pushing of The Big Lie against specific people.

In the year since the Trump campaign and the conspiracy theory website The Gateway Pundit cast Wandrea Moss and her mother Ruby Freeman as key players in a false narrative of election fraud, Moss hasn’t been able to sleep much.

She’s gained 50 pounds. Her son failed multiple classes in school, as the phone he was using as an internet connection for his remote education was bombarded with racial slurs and threats. At least twice, strangers showed up to Moss’ grandmother’s home and attempted to push their way inside to perform a citizen’s arrest.

Things weren’t any better for Freeman, who was also bombarded with threats, unwanted pizza deliveries and threatening Christmas cards. On Jan. 6, a crowd surrounded Freeman’s home — but she wasn’t there, having taken the FBI’s advice to relocate.

That’s all according to a new defamation lawsuit that Moss and Freeman have filed in state court in St. Louis against Gateway Pundit, its owner Jim Hoft, and Jim’s twin brother and fellow Gateway Pundit writer Joe Hoft. The plaintiffs are being represented by lawyers with the group Protect Democracy.

The far-right website, a prime source for introducing fever swamp internet ramblings into the Trumpian mainstream, was a key driver in turning Moss and Freeman into household names, according to the suit — at least, in those households sucked into Donald Trump’s lies about the 2020 election.

Specifically, the pair were featured in months of Gateway Pundit articles focused on selectively-edited surveillance video from the State Farm Arena, where Freeman, Moss and others were counting votes. The Trump campaign premiered the misleading footage during Dec. 3 testimony before the Georgia State Senate. Moss was, and still is, an employee for the Fulton County elections department, and Freeman was a temporary worker for the department during the 2020 election.

The obsessive coverage falsely accused them of stuffing illegal ballots through counting machines, a conspiracy theory crafted after an overflowing urinal briefly halted the tabulation process and prompted wild speculation. As a result, according to the suit, months of death threats and harassment followed.

“Defendants’ wrongful conduct is so outrageous in character and so extreme in degree that it is beyond all possible bounds of decency and is to be regarded as atrocious and utterly intolerable in a civilized community,” the lawsuit read. It sought a judgement forcing the Hofts and The Gateway Pundit to remove the allegedly defamatory material, compensatory damages “in an amount to be determined at trial,” and other relief.

[LFC]

James O'Keefe, founder of Project Veritas, wannabe pimp, and all around liar for money, is facing two new lawsuits by ex-employees. The punchline is the lawyer in both suits.

Pass The Popcorn

James O’Keefe’s Project Veritas faces two new lawsuits from former employees who portray the gonzo right-wing organization as drug-laden, debauched, and a hostile work environment. The lawyer in both lawsuits is a former general counsel to ACORN, one of Project Veritas’ earliest targets. O’Keefe denied the lawsuits’ claims.

[LFC]

Let's see what the snapperheads have to say under oath. How many times will the Fifth Amendment be invoked?

This Is Getting Good

Take a peek at the upcoming deposition schedule in Dominion’s giant defamation case against Fox News for giving widespread play to conspiracy theories about the election tech company:

Friday: Tucker Carlson

Tuesday: Lou Dobbs

Wednesday: Sean Hannity

[AnBr]

Reich-wingers' new favorite amendment.

[andydp]

Poor Jeanine, should have listened to the boss.

Fox producer's warning against Jeanine Pirro surfaces in Dominion defamation suit

The November 2020 email from an anguished Fox News news producer to colleagues sent up a flare amid a fusillade of false claims.

The producer warned: Fox cannot let host Jeanine Pirro back on the air. She is pulling conspiracy theories from dark corners of the Web to justify then-President Donald Trump's lies that the election had been stolen from him. The existence of the email, confirmed by two people with direct knowledge of it, is first publicly disclosed by NPR in this story. Fox News declined comment.
Pirro was far from alone in broadcasting such false claims. In the weeks that followed Election Day 2020, other prominent Fox stars, commentators and their guests heavily promoted them.

A repeat target was Dominion Voting Systems, the election machine and technology company. Trump and his allies alleged on Fox that Dominion was engaged in a conscious effort to throw the 2020 race to Joe Biden. They implied and falsely asserted on Fox programs that Dominion's machines and software either discarded Trump's votes or transferred them to Biden. Dominion argues their false claims were frequently egged on by Fox's own stars.

www.wlrn.org/news/2022-09-06/fox-producers-warning-against-jeanine-pirro-surfaces-in-dominion-defamation-suit

[andydp]

It must really suck to be Mike (pillow guy) Lindell these days.  Note the complete silence from the Trump camp.  (I'm sure a lot of it is fear of lawsuits but still...)  I may add the old adage: "Don't write checks with your mouth your ass can't cover."

Judge orders MyPillow mogul Mike Lindell to pay attorney fees to winner of 'Prove Mike Wrong' contest

A judge ordered Mike Lindell to pay the attorney fees of a man who won his "Prove Mike Wrong" contest.

Lindell owes Robert Zeidman $4,508 in attorney fees, a Thursday court order says.

A judge already ordered Lindell to pay Zeidman the $5 million prize money.


www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/judge-orders-mypillow-mogul-mike-lindell-to-pay-attorney-fees-to-winner-of-prove-mike-wrong-contest/ar-AA1ouaUr?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=HCTS&cvid=139bf1ad7447453eb2a79559e93df1a6&ei=34

[andydp]

It never ceases to amaze me how anyone who has any dealing in ANY capacity with Pres Trump winds up getting their lives and reputations completely destroyed. Yet, they keep coming. Here's Rudy Giuliani's latest chapter. He's settled one case for $400K BUT... he still owes over $ 150 MILLION.

Giuliani Settles Bankruptcy Case with $400,000 Agreement


www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/giuliani-settles-bankruptcy-case-with-400-000-agreement/ss-AA1oHJjs?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=HCTS&cvid=65db924c23554559b93cf4318d4767e6&ei=26

[goldenvalley]

Aug 13, 2024 19:35:22 GMT andydp said:

It never ceases to amaze me how anyone who has any dealing in ANY capacity with Pres Trump winds up getting their lives and reputations completely destroyed. Yet, they keep coming. Here's Rudy Giuliani's latest chapter. He's settled one case for $400K BUT... he still owes over $ 150 MILLION.

Giuliani Settles Bankruptcy Case with $400,000 Agreement


www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/giuliani-settles-bankruptcy-case-with-400-000-agreement/ss-AA1oHJjs?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=HCTS&cvid=65db924c23554559b93cf4318d4767e6&ei=26

Ahh Rudy, what a way to end your public life...from America's Mayor post 9/11 to drunken, bankrupt lackey.

I never bought the America's Mayor bit anyway.  He was a showboating prosecutor turned showboating mayor with a messy personal life right inside the NYC maintained mayor's mansion.  

[andydp]

Couldn't have happened to a nicer scum***

Alex Jones’ InfoWars Suffers Fatal Blow From Judge

Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones falsely claimed that the U.S. government concealed or falsified events such as the Sandy Hook shooting, the Oklahoma City bombing, 9/11, and the Moon landing. In October 2022, a jury awarded roughly $1.5 billion in damages to a first responder and victims' families due to Jones's defamatory claims about the Sandy Hook shooting. In December 2022, Jones filed for personal bankruptcy.

Knewz.com is reporting that Alex Jones' InfoWars, controlled by his company Free Speech Systems, is officially set to be sold. "FSS will now be sold at auction, meaning Alex Jones will no longer own or control the company he built," attorney Chris Mattei said.


www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/alex-jones-infowars-suffers-fatal-blow-from-judge/ss-AA1rsHpr?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=HCTS&cvid=eb9801e0cd914433962f810766130eb6&ei=230#image=8

[goldenvalley]

Sept 30, 2024 13:22:10 GMT andydp said:

Couldn't have happened to a nicer scum***

Alex Jones’ InfoWars Suffers Fatal Blow From Judge

Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones falsely claimed that the U.S. government concealed or falsified events such as the Sandy Hook shooting, the Oklahoma City bombing, 9/11, and the Moon landing. In October 2022, a jury awarded roughly $1.5 billion in damages to a first responder and victims' families due to Jones's defamatory claims about the Sandy Hook shooting. In December 2022, Jones filed for personal bankruptcy.

Knewz.com is reporting that Alex Jones' InfoWars, controlled by his company Free Speech Systems, is officially set to be sold. "FSS will now be sold at auction, meaning Alex Jones will no longer own or control the company he built," attorney Chris Mattei said.


www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/alex-jones-infowars-suffers-fatal-blow-from-judge/ss-AA1rsHpr?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=HCTS&cvid=eb9801e0cd914433962f810766130eb6&ei=230#image=8

Yeah but I worry about who would buy it.  If someone or some entity spends millions to buy it they probably intend to stick with the "programming" he established. Then we'd just have a new villain.

[andydp]

Sept 30, 2024 15:08:34 GMT goldenvalley said:

Sept 30, 2024 13:22:10 GMT andydp said:

Couldn't have happened to a nicer scum***

Alex Jones’ InfoWars Suffers Fatal Blow From Judge

Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones falsely claimed that the U.S. government concealed or falsified events such as the Sandy Hook shooting, the Oklahoma City bombing, 9/11, and the Moon landing. In October 2022, a jury awarded roughly $1.5 billion in damages to a first responder and victims' families due to Jones's defamatory claims about the Sandy Hook shooting. In December 2022, Jones filed for personal bankruptcy.

Knewz.com is reporting that Alex Jones' InfoWars, controlled by his company Free Speech Systems, is officially set to be sold. "FSS will now be sold at auction, meaning Alex Jones will no longer own or control the company he built," attorney Chris Mattei said.


www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/alex-jones-infowars-suffers-fatal-blow-from-judge/ss-AA1rsHpr?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=HCTS&cvid=eb9801e0cd914433962f810766130eb6&ei=230#image=8

Yeah but I worry about who would buy it.  If someone or some entity spends millions to buy it they probably intend to stick with the "programming" he established. Then we'd just have a new villain.

After what happened to the "Founding Scum", I doubt they would start harping about kids on Mars and other Government cover ups like "Jewish Space Lasers". Funny retort I read was along the lines of: "If Jews had lasers, there wouldn't be too many nazis."

[Rue Bella]

Yeah but I worry about who would buy it. If someone or some entity spends millions to buy it they probably intend to stick with the "programming" he established. Then we'd just have a new villain.

Besides the Sandy Hook disinformation, I'm not familiar with what else Alex tries to push (besides making $$$) But judging by what Elon Musk allows on Twitter, Fox news in general, Tucker Carlson, Bartirroma, Hannity, and the like, that's bad enough. To not be sued, they just need to spread their lies to remain within whatever the fuzzy legal lines are.

What's most alarming to me are the millions of listeners who find all this intentionally deceptive programming desirable. ? ?

[indy]

I'm not really sure he has any assets worth all that much but then again I'm hardly an expert on him. I know he marketed crap to his listeners but he kinda seemed to be the only real asset worth anything. I kind of wonder if he realized how close to the edge he was playing things liability-wise. If he did, maybe he took steps to plan against this contingency.

Also not sure if the judgement will hang over his head against future earnings but we can hope.

[goldenvalley]

Sept 30, 2024 18:28:35 GMT indy said:

I'm not really sure he has any assets worth all that much but then again I'm hardly an expert on him. I know he marketed crap to his listeners but he kinda seemed to be the only real asset worth anything. I kind of wonder if he realized how close to the edge he was playing things liability-wise. If he did, maybe he took steps to plan against this contingency.

Also not sure if the judgement will hang over his head against future earnings but we can hope.

Here's a bit about his machinations after the Sandy Hook verdict came down:

According to a recent New York Times investigation into Jones’s financial and legal documents, the far-right broadcast agitator transferred assets worth millions of dollars outside the reach of creditors as lawsuits from Sandy Hook families as well as court sanctions stacked up against him over the past years.

As part of a series of maneuvers to avoid paying for legal damages, Infowars’ parent company, Free Speech Systems, as well as Jones himself, declared bankruptcy last year.

“I’m officially out of money, personally,” Jones said on Infowars in December. “It’s all going to be filed. It’s all going to be public. And you will see that Alex Jones has almost no cash,” the Associated Press reports Jones saying.

However, the new investigation by the New York Times found that in addition to Jones spending $80,000 on a private jet, security and a villa during his time in Connecticut last year to testify at trial, he also appeared to have been sneaking away his money to various entities.

The report revealed that in October 2021, Jones made a business agreement with Auriam Services, a month-old company founded by lifestyle blogger Anthony Gucciardi, a friend of Jones. According to the report, Auriam Services was to function as a credit card processing intermediary.

Then, in February 2022, Jones transferred his $3m estate in Austin, Texas, to his wife, Erika Wulff Jones. The house on the estate spans over 5,400 sq ft and boasts four bedrooms and five bathrooms, in addition to a pool and a spa.

The investigation also found that Jones signed a contract last July with Blue Ascension, a new company founded just a few months prior by Patrick Riley, Jones’s former personal trainer and assistant. That same month, Free Speech Systems filed for bankruptcy.

[andydp]

I moved this over from the "Presidential Election Thread" to here.  (I forgot this thread was here)


Sometimes it sucks to be Rudy. This is what happens when you write a check your ass can't cover. Once again, a person who backed Pres Trump has their life destroyed.

Rudy Giuliani Ordered To Give Georgia Election Workers His Manhattan Penthouse

A federal judge in Manhattan ordered Rudy Giuliani on Tuesday to turn over a number of luxury possessions as well as ownership of his Manhattan penthouse to two Georgia election workers as part of the $150 million judgment he owes them for defamation.

The former New York City mayor now has seven days to turn over the assets to Ruby Freeman and her daughter, Shaye Moss, both of whom he falsely accused of election fraud. The assets include his Mercedes-Benz, furniture, a number of luxury watches, and fees owed to him by Trump’s presidential campaign and the Republican National Committee, according to the order issued by Judge Lewis Liman.


www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/rudy-giuliani-ordered-to-give-georgia-election-workers-his-manhattan-penthouse/ar-AA1sJTa5?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=HCTS&cvid=baf53ee477e448c0a9c9a08ea9436a4f&ei=75

[goldenvalley]

Oct 24, 2024 13:49:15 GMT andydp said:

I moved this over from the "Presidential Election Thread" to here.  (I forgot this thread was here)


Sometimes it sucks to be Rudy. This is what happens when you write a check your ass can't cover. Once again, a person who backed Pres Trump has their life destroyed.

Rudy Giuliani Ordered To Give Georgia Election Workers His Manhattan Penthouse

A federal judge in Manhattan ordered Rudy Giuliani on Tuesday to turn over a number of luxury possessions as well as ownership of his Manhattan penthouse to two Georgia election workers as part of the $150 million judgment he owes them for defamation.

The former New York City mayor now has seven days to turn over the assets to Ruby Freeman and her daughter, Shaye Moss, both of whom he falsely accused of election fraud. The assets include his Mercedes-Benz, furniture, a number of luxury watches, and fees owed to him by Trump’s presidential campaign and the Republican National Committee, according to the order issued by Judge Lewis Liman.


www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/rudy-giuliani-ordered-to-give-georgia-election-workers-his-manhattan-penthouse/ar-AA1sJTa5?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=HCTS&cvid=baf53ee477e448c0a9c9a08ea9436a4f&ei=75

It's about time those ladies got something for their pain.  I wonder if they'll go after the Trump campaign and the RNC for the legal fees.  

[andydp]

Join us once again, in the continuing saga of Mike "I Wannabe Trump" Lindell.  In this chapter, we see Mike trying to weasel out of a loan. Just like Donald  (Comment" Who the heck signs a loan for 360% ?)  Too bad he didn't talk to some "Jersey Guys" who would have explained in detail what happens if you don't pay.

Mike Lindell's 'cash-strapped company' accepts loan with 360% interest then refuses to pay

According to The Minnesota Star Tribune, Lindell's company took out the $600,000 loan during a cashflow panic last month. MyPillow agreed to pay $16,000 a day in interest as a part of the contract.

A lawsuit filed last week claimed that the loan was "usurious, unconscionable and thus unenforceable," and said it should be thrown out by Carver County District Court.

Although usury laws typically cap interest rates for loans, the agreement with Lifetime Funding and CapSpot Financial was structured as a purchase of unpaid MyPillow invoices to get around the restriction.

The lawsuit described MyPillow as "a cash-strapped business that needed funds quickly."

www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/mike-lindell-s-cash-strapped-company-accepts-loan-with-360-interest-then-refuses-to-pay/ar-AA1td8t5?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=HCTS&cvid=8e9b8bcd8f154729a238553ccb3a5c92&ei=35