Alan Dershowitz will be able to move to discovery after surviving the first round of a defamation lawsuit against CNN over its coverage of Donald Trump’s impeachment.
The famed attorney was representing Trump in the 2020 Senate trial when he answered a question from Ted Cruz about whether a president can be impeached and removed from office if he takes any action that is motivated by a desire to be reelected. Dershowitz gave a lengthy response that concluded, “Every public official that I know believes that his election is in the public interest and, mostly you are right, your election is in the public interest, and if a president does something which he believes will help him get elected in the public interest, that cannot be the kind of quid pro quo that results in impeachment.”
In his libel claim, Dershowitz alleges CNN provided an edited version of what he said and a misleading narrative about his views that damaged his reputation as a scholar. He’s seeking $300 million in damages.
CNN, in a motion to dismiss, argued that it was protected by the fair report privilege, which shields the press from reporting about government proceedings.
U.S. District Court Raag Singhal agrees with Dershowitz that a misleading presentation cancels out such a defense.
source hollywoodreporter.com
video credit Newsmax TV YouTube
