Coal Baron, a Major Ken Cuccinelli Campaign Donor, Sues Blogger for Defamation, Invasion of Privacy

[applegrove]

Last edited Mon Nov 4, 2013, 03:02 AM - Edit history (1)

Coal Baron, a Major Ken Cuccinelli Campaign Donor, Sues Blogger for Defamation, Invasion of Privacy

by Steve Horn at Desmogblog

http://www.desmogblog.com/2013/11/03/coal-baron-major-ken-cuccinelli-campaign-donor-sues-blogger-defamation-invasion-privacy

"SNIP..............................


In the piece published in the Huffington Post, Stark points to the $30,000 that Murray Energy has given Cuccinelli, as well as Robert Murray's campaign work on behalf of 2012 Republican Party presidential nominee Mitt Romney. Stark also covers Murray's call for the impeachment of President Obama at a recent speaking engagement, along with his firing of 150 workers after Obama's 2012 victory over Mitt Romney and the prayer he offered the U.S. public after Obama's 2012 victory.

The rationale behind the defamation suit for Murray boils down to Stark and The HuffPost referring to Murray as an "extremist" and pointing to the firing of the 150 Murray Energy workers as a potential "fulfillment of a promise" after the 2012 presidential election.

"The Defamatory Statements...were published with malice...[and] were understood and interpreted by readers of The Huffington Post to be assertions of fact, not opinion," says Murray's complaint. "These false and defamatory statements have severely harmed the reputation of the Murray plaintiffs [and have] caused great mental anguish and emotional distress for Plaintiff Robert E. Murray and his family members."

To protect free speech and robust public debate, courts make it difficult for well-known public figures to sue for defamation or the related claim of false light invasion of privacy. To avoid those limits, Murray’s lawyers argue Murray is not a public figure at all.



...............................SNIP"

[2naSalit]

1. Very interesting.

Hope it's thrown out of court in the first hearing.

[applegrove]

2. Yeah. Those 1 %ers must not like the intertubes and all the

information they cannot control there. I worry that this is just the start of rich people, who control the country, hiding behind anonymity, just as they do when they donate.

[2naSalit]

6. I worry about that too.

[gopiscrap]

5. me too

[Renew Deal]

3. Robert Murray is an extremist

is just an opinion. It's not different than saying Robert Murray is a jerk. Now if someone said that Robert Murray is an a-hole, that might be defamatory since he probably doesn't resemble an a-hole.

[gopiscrap]

4. fuck him Murray is such an asshole

[2naSalit]

7. ditto!

[dlwickham]

8. Murray is a public figure

at least in my neck of the woods

Murray Growing As National Coal Player

http://www.theintelligencer.net/page/content.detail/id/591818/Murray-Growing-As-National-Coal-Player.html?nav=515

Murray Prays for America

http://www.theintelligencer.net/page/content.detail/id/577008/Murray-Prays-for-America.html?nav=509

Much at Stake for Coal

http://www.theintelligencer.net/page/content.detail/id/587779/Much-at-Stake-for-Coal.html?nav=509

[TeamPooka]

9. link please not just snips. nt

[applegrove]

10. Here it is. Thanks for pointing that out.

http://www.desmogblog.com/2013/11/03/coal-baron-major-ken-cuccinelli-campaign-donor-sues-blogger-defamation-invasion-privacy