Judge Says He'll Dismiss Sarah Palin's Defamation Lawsuit Against The New York Times; Former Gov: Decision 'Usurped The System'
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- A judge said Monday he'll dismiss a libel lawsuit that former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin filed against The New York Times, claiming the newspaper damaged her reputation with an editorial falsely linking her campaign rhetoric to a mass shooting.
U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff made the ruling with a jury still deliberating at a New York City trial where the former Alaska governor and vice-presidential candidate testified last week.
The judge said Palin had failed to show that The Times had acted out of malice, something required in libel lawsuits involving public figures.
U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff says he'll let jury deliberations continue in case his decision winds up being reversed on appeal.
Web Extra: Sarah Palin comments after judge says he'll dismiss libel lawsuit
"OK, we're not going to make a statement yet because the jury still has it in front of them. Which leads me to say, this is a jury trial. And we always thank jurors, we always appreciate the system. So whatever happened in there kind of usurped the system that I believe we're used to and we respect and works," Palin said. "All went well... we will be back tomorrow.
"And I thank you all for covering this case so passionately. The public does need to know, needs to understand. Y'all are doing a great job," she added."
"The New York Times welcomes today's decision. It is a reaffirmation of a fundamental tenet of American law: public figures should not be permitted to use libel suits to punish or intimidate news organizations that make, acknowledge and swiftly correct unintentional errors," the New York Times said in a statement.
Palin sued The Times in 2017, claiming the newspaper had damaged her career as a political commentator and consultant with the editorial about gun control published after U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise, a Louisiana Republican, was wounded when a man with a history of anti-GOP activity opened fire on a Congressional baseball team practice in Washington.
In the editorial, The Times wrote that before the 2011 mass shooting in Arizona that severely wounded former U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords and killed six others, Palin's political action committee had contributed to an atmosphere of violence by circulating a map of electoral districts that put Giffords and 19 other Democrats under stylized crosshairs.
The Times acknowledged that the editorial wrongly described both the map, and any link to the shooting, but said the mistake wasn't intentional.
(© Copyright 2022 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)