Trump Secures Legal Victory in Libel Lawsuit With Pulitzer Prize Board Over Russia Report

[Social Media]

 

Donald Trump has achieved a notable legal victory in his ongoing libel lawsuit against the Pulitzer Prize Board, as a Florida judge has rejected efforts by the board to have the case dismissed. This lawsuit, filed in 2022, centers on a series of reports published by The New York Times and The Washington Post concerning alleged connections between Trump's 2016 campaign and Russia. The ruling by Senior Judge Robert Pegg marks a significant development in the case, which challenges the Pulitzer Prize Board's decision to uphold the 2018 awards for national reporting given to these newspapers.

 

Judge Pegg’s 14-page ruling, issued on Saturday, dismissed the Pulitzer Prize Board’s argument that their decision to award the national reporting prizes to The New York Times and The Washington Post was merely a matter of "pure opinion" rather than a statement of fact. The lawsuit does not directly contest the content of the articles or the initial award of the Pulitzer Prizes but instead focuses on the board’s decision in 2022 to reaffirm these awards despite Trump's persistent claims of inaccuracies and falsehoods in the reporting. 

 

Trump's legal strategy targets the Pulitzer Board’s 2022 statement, which came in response to his allegations that the Times and Post's reporting was flawed and contradicted by Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation. Florida law imposes a two-year statute of limitations for defamation cases, leading Trump to concentrate on the board’s more recent actions rather than the original reporting.

In his post on the Trump Social platform, Trump praised Judge Pegg’s decision, asserting that the ruling was a powerful rejection of the Pulitzer Board's attempt to dismiss his defamation lawsuit. Trump described the judge's decision as confirming that the Pulitzer Prizes were awarded to "Fake News Stories about the Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax by The Failing New York Times and The Washington Compost."

 

He claimed that Pegg's ruling indicated Mueller's report debunked the articles by the Times and Post, though the judge's decision only mentioned that Trump alleged the special counsel's findings demonstrated inaccuracies in the newspapers' reporting.

 

Judge Pegg’s ruling implies dissatisfaction with the Pulitzer Board’s review process, suggesting that the board’s reaffirmation of the awards did not adequately address whether the "independent reviewers" verified the anonymous sources critical to the Russia collusion narrative. Pegg criticized the board for leaving readers uncertain about the thoroughness of the review.

 

Mueller’s report, released in March 2019, concluded that there was no evidence of a conspiracy or coordination between the Trump Campaign and the Russian government regarding election interference. 

 

Additionally, Judge Pegg dismissed a motion by several defendants seeking to be removed from the case on the grounds that they lacked sufficient ties to Florida, allowing the lawsuit to proceed to the discovery phase. This phase will enable Trump’s legal team to question Pulitzer board members about the discussions and reviews related to the 2018 awards and to uncover who conducted the reviews that led to the reaffirmation of the Times and Post’s reporting.

 

The Pulitzer Prize Board and their attorneys did not respond immediately to requests for comment on the rulings. The Philadelphia-based law firm Ballard Spahr, representing the board members, also handles legal matters for other news outlets, including POLITICO.

 

Trump’s lawsuit names board members and administrative staff from the time of the 2018 awards. Filed in December 2022 in Okeechobee County, Florida, the case is expected to continue as Trump’s attorneys prepare for the discovery process.

 

In his social media post, Trump reiterated his calls for changes to the nation’s libel laws, criticizing the landmark New York Times v. Sullivan case as outdated and reflective of a media landscape he views as radical and biased.

 

Credit: Politico 2024-07-23

 

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[Tug]

Guess Donnie is still smarting from not getting a Pulitzer poor thing 

[stopthecap]

Democrats definition of democracy: If you don't agree with us,we will try to eliminate you anyway possible.

[placeholder]

Trump's definition of democracy allows him to use his wealth to punish those who oppose him by filing baseless lawsuits:

 

Donald J. Trump is a Libel Bully but also a Libel Loser

Trump and his companies have been
involved in a mind-boggling 4,000
lawsuits over the last 30 years and sent
countless threatening cease-and-desist
letters to journalists and critics.1
But the GOP presidential nominee
and his companies have never won a
single speech-related case filed in a
public court.
This article examines seven
speech-related cases brought by Trump
and his companies, which include four
dismissals on the merits, two voluntary
withdrawals, and one lone victory in an
arbitration won by default.

https://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/publications/communications_lawyer/fall2016/cl32-3.pdf

[impulse]

  On 7/22/2024 at 11:01 PM, placeholder said:

Trump and his companies have been
involved in a mind-boggling 4,000
lawsuits over the last 30 years

This article examines seven
speech-related cases

Expand  

 

Out of a total of 4000, they examine 7 cases.  And they expect us to believe it's a representative sample, much less a fair assessment?

 

C'mon man.

 

[placeholder]

  On 7/22/2024 at 11:23 PM, impulse said:

 

Out of a total of 4000, they examine 7 cases.  And they expect us to believe it's a representative sample, much less a fair assessment?

 

C'mon man.

 

Expand  

The rest weren't defamation cases.

[Skipalongcassidy]

  On 7/22/2024 at 11:23 PM, impulse said:

 

Out of a total of 4000, they examine 7 cases.  And they expect us to believe it's a representative sample, much less a fair assessment?

 

C'mon man.

 

Expand  

I wouldn't expect you to believe anything that goes against the party line... so, NO

[Chomper Higgot]

  On 7/22/2024 at 9:35 PM, Tug said:

Guess Donnie is still smarting from not getting a Pulitzer poor thing 

Expand  

He can always go down the hall at Mar A Largo and pump himself up by gazing upon his framed fake Time Magazine covers.

[Chomper Higgot]

  On 7/22/2024 at 9:58 PM, stopthecap said:

Democrats definition of democracy: If you don't agree with us,we will try to eliminate you anyway possible.

Expand  

As in storm the Capitol in an attempt to stop the certification of an election?

[stopthecap]

  On 7/23/2024 at 2:43 AM, Chomper Higgot said:

As in storm the Capitol in an attempt to stop the certification of an election?

Expand  

 

Storm, nice choice of words. You must think of yourself as intelligent but you are literally a brainwashed mouth piece for the media.

 

[placeholder]

  On 7/23/2024 at 2:59 AM, stopthecap said:

 

Storm, nice choice of words. You must think of yourself as intelligent but you are literally a brainwashed mouth piece for the media.

 

Expand  

Storm is an excellent choice

 

 

 

 

[thaibeachlovers]

Trump wins, again.

 

[thaibeachlovers]

  On 7/22/2024 at 8:30 PM, Social Media said:

Additionally, Judge Pegg dismissed a motion by several defendants seeking to be removed from the case on the grounds that they lacked sufficient ties to Florida, allowing the lawsuit to proceed to the discovery phase. This phase will enable Trump’s legal team to question Pulitzer board members about the discussions and reviews related to the 2018 awards and to uncover who conducted the reviews that led to the reaffirmation of the Times and Post’s reporting.

Expand  

This is going to be soooooo great.

[placeholder]

  On 7/23/2024 at 3:17 AM, thaibeachlovers said:

This is going to be soooooo great.

Expand  

First off, let's see if it survives on appeal. The Sullivan doctrine is long established law. That doesn't mean the Supreme Court won't overturn it. I know that Clarence Thomas, at least, would love to see the rich and powerful able to silence their critics through fear of financial disaster.

[Chomper Higgot]

  On 7/23/2024 at 2:59 AM, stopthecap said:

 

Storm, nice choice of words. You must think of yourself as intelligent but you are literally a brainwashed mouth piece for the media.

 

Expand  

And all you have is a personal attack.

[stopthecap]

  On 7/23/2024 at 3:31 AM, Chomper Higgot said:

And all you have is a personal attack.

Expand  

 

You know the evidence, FBI opened the doors let the people in. its literally on video

You know biden had signs of dementia years ago, yet act suprised about the debate.

Trump triggers you, elon triggers you. You wish people dead, you support wars. You all think the same because never once someone like you says hey you know i kinda agree with 1 or 2 republican policies. Youd rather eat bugs than a pork chop.

Good chat.

[Chomper Higgot]

  On 7/23/2024 at 4:46 AM, stopthecap said:

 

You know the evidence, FBI opened the doors let the people in. its literally on video

You know biden had signs of dementia years ago, yet act suprised about the debate.

Trump triggers you, elon triggers you. You wish people dead, you support wars. You all think the same because never once someone like you says hey you know i kinda agree with 1 or 2 republican policies. Youd rather eat bugs than a pork chop.

Good chat.

Expand  

A variation on your earlier personal attack.

 

Just more rambling baseless allegations.

 

 

[riclag]

  On 7/22/2024 at 9:58 PM, stopthecap said:

Democrats definition of democracy: If you don't agree with us,we will try to eliminate you anyway possible.

Expand  

Brilliant comment!

Many pundits say they aint the party of JFK anymore !

Using the title democrat to hide their 

neoism is insulting to Americans .

Imop

[Purdey]

  On 7/22/2024 at 8:30 PM, Social Media said:

The lawsuit does not directly contest the content of the articles

Expand  

Surly contesting the articles was the first move? 

[Srikcir]

  On 7/22/2024 at 8:30 PM, Social Media said:

Trump praised Judge Pegg’s decision, asserting that the ruling was a powerful rejection of the Pulitzer Board's attempt to dismiss his defamation lawsuit.

Expand  

So the case will go to a jury trial. And you know how well Trump does in a jury trial. Especially when it comes to the defendant requiring a live deposition and evidentiary requests. I expect Trump will ask for a bench judge trial. 

[stopthecap]

  On 7/23/2024 at 5:47 AM, Chomper Higgot said:

A variation on your earlier personal attack.

 

Just more rambling baseless allegations.

 

 

Expand  

 

Fake news? 😁

[impulse]

Speaking of legal victories...  Remember this idiot singing gem?

 

FOX News Scores Major Legal Victory Against Former ‘Disinformation Czar’ Nina Jankowicz

 

Jankowicz sued FOX News, singling out a handful of hosts who criticized her on the air. Jankowicz claimed it was defamation.

 

Now a judge has thrown out her case, in a major win for FOX and a big blow for Jankowicz.

 

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/07/fox-news-scores-major-legal-victory-against-former/

[candide]

  On 7/23/2024 at 4:46 AM, stopthecap said:

 

You know the evidence, FBI opened the doors let the people in. its literally on video

You know biden had signs of dementia years ago, yet act suprised about the debate.

Trump triggers you, elon triggers you. You wish people dead, you support wars. You all think the same because never once someone like you says hey you know i kinda agree with 1 or 2 republican policies. Youd rather eat bugs than a pork chop.

Good chat.

Expand  

It seems you have received your dose of RW social media posts! 😀

[candide]

  On 7/23/2024 at 7:27 AM, Srikcir said:

So the case will go to a jury trial. And you know how well Trump does in a jury trial. Especially when it comes to the defendant requiring a live deposition and evidentiary requests. I expect Trump will ask for a bench judge trial. 

Expand  

And if Trump loses, we already know what to expect from him: corrupt judge, biased jury, et ... 😀

[stopthecap]

  On 7/23/2024 at 9:04 AM, candide said:

It seems you have received your dose of RW social media posts! 😀

Expand  

 

I watch multiple channels, intake multiple sources of "news" then make up my own mind. Shocking right? I agree with certain policies of both sides of US Politics. Im sure no one can totally agree with just one side right? Im from oz so im probably wrong but i guess when you "register" as someone and hang out with the certain types it makes it all the more divisive.

 

[mushroomdave]

  On 7/23/2024 at 8:31 AM, impulse said:

Speaking of legal victories...  Remember this idiot singing gem?

 

FOX News Scores Major Legal Victory Against Former ‘Disinformation Czar’ Nina Jankowicz

 

Jankowicz sued FOX News, singling out a handful of hosts who criticized her on the air. Jankowicz claimed it was defamation.

 

Now a judge has thrown out her case, in a major win for FOX and a big blow for Jankowicz.

 

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/07/fox-news-scores-major-legal-victory-against-former/

Expand  

They must be so happy winning that......but I think Dominion Voting Systems are still counting the green from Fox paying settling for almost 800 million!!.....oh and I hope they keep the party going as they can't avoid the next train coming too.....Smartmatic Voting System's "2.7 Billion Dollar  Lawsuit".  Good luck with that Fox!!   🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[candide]

  On 7/23/2024 at 9:08 AM, stopthecap said:

 

I watch multiple channels, intake multiple sources of "news" then make up my own mind. Shocking right? I agree with certain policies of both sides of US Politics. Im sure no one can totally agree with just one side right? Im from oz so im probably wrong but i guess when you "register" as someone and hang out with the certain types it makes it all the more divisive.

 

Expand  

Well, form your posts in this thread, it seems that, from this variety of  channels, you have only selected RW talking points and conspiracy theories.

[MrJ2U]

  On 7/23/2024 at 2:59 AM, stopthecap said:

 

Storm, nice choice of words. You must think of yourself as intelligent but you are literally a brainwashed mouth piece for the media.

 

Expand  

Another brainwashed MAGA loon.

[thaipo7]

  On 7/22/2024 at 9:35 PM, Tug said:

Guess Donnie is still smarting from not getting a Pulitzer poor thing 

Expand  

He is smarting along with his supporters over all the lies the Biden Administration was able to  make up against him with the help of the Corrupt FBI, Corrupt CIA, and the Democrat compliant media who would repeat all the lies with no investigation.  Imagine if you will this happening to a Democrat.  Don't you care about anything being legal with how Trump is treated?

[thaipo7]

  On 7/23/2024 at 3:15 AM, thaibeachlovers said:

Trump wins, again.

 

Expand  

Not a win.  What did he do wrong in the first place?  The Trump family have spent over $100 million defending against things they never did. Think this is right?