One week after a federal judge dismissed a defamation lawsuit filed by Nicholas Sandmann against The Washington Post, eight unidentified Covington High School students filed a defamation suit against 12 public figures, including journalists and news media figures like CNN commentator Ana Navarro, New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman and more.
In the suit, filed in Kentucky’s Kenton County Circuit Court, attorneys Robert Barnes and Kevin Murphy explained the decision to turn to litigation after students on a field trip to Washington, D.C., were widely criticized for their interaction with a Native American protester in January.
“Several of our Senators, most-famous celebrities, and widely read journalists, collectively used their large social media platforms, perceived higher credibility and public followings to lie and libel minors they never met, based on an event they never witnessed.