Fighting Disinformation in Court

October 31, 2022
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Public debate is being short-circuited by individuals and entities that repeatedly spread lies. Law for Truth, a project of Protect Democracy, works to stop those who intentionally or recklessly spread false information that undermines our democracy. Through strategic litigation and public education, we protect that democracy — along with individuals and entities victimized by disinformation — against those who intentionally or recklessly defame for financial, partisan, or other reasons. Read more about our work to combat specific lies undermining our democracy below.

Current Litigation

Read more about our cases to combat specific lies undermining our democracy below.

Weisenbach v. Project Veritas et al.

Law for Truth represents Erie, Pennsylvania postmaster Robert Weisenbach in a lawsuit challenging disinformation that undermined faith in the 2020 election and, ultimately, in our democracy. Defendants are Project Veritas, Project Veritas’s founder and CEO James O’Keefe, and Richard Hopkins, a former mail carrier for the Erie post office.

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Ruby Freeman & Wandrea Moss v. Gateway Pundit et al.

Law for Truth represents Fulton County, Georgia election workers Ruby Freeman and Wandrea’ “Shaye” Moss in a defamation lawsuit against The Gateway Pundit and James and Joseph Hoft.

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Ruby Freeman & Wandrea Moss v. Rudolph Giuliani

Law for Truth represents Fulton County, Georgia election workers Ruby Freeman and Wandrea “Shaye” Moss in a defamation lawsuit against Rudolph Giuliani.

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Mark Andrews v. Dinesh D’Souza et al.

Law for Truth represents Mark Andrews in a defamation lawsuit against Dinesh D’Souza, D’Souza Media LLC, True the Vote, Inc., Catherine Engelbrecht, Gregg Phillips, Salem Media Group, Inc., and John Does.

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Press

The single most compelling witness of the January 6 committee hearings so far

CNN, June 22, 2022

“She couldn’t get the microphone in front of her to work. She initially struggled to find the words to express herself. But as the former Georgia election worker unspooled her story of being unfairly targeted by then-President Donald Trump and his lawyer Rudy Giuliani on Tuesday before the House select committee investigating January 6, she transformed into the single most powerful witness to appear in these public hearings so far.”

First Amendment Scholars Want to See the Media Lose These Cases

New York Times, Mar. 13, 2022

“The lawyers and First Amendment scholars who have made it their life’s work to defend the well-established but newly threatened constitutional protections for journalists don’t usually root for the media to lose in court. But that’s what is happening with a series of recent defamation lawsuits against right-wing outlets that legal experts say could be the most significant libel litigation in recent memory.”

Could libel lawsuits squash misinformation?

NPR, Mar. 12, 2022

“There are two big shadows over the media landscape affecting what you read, hear and watch – libel suits, often aimed at putting the media on the defensive, and misinformation, falsehoods designed to mislead the public. Under the radar, there’s a new alliance of attorneys filing related suits using the first – that is, libel laws – to counter the second – misinformation.”

Fighting Fake News, In Court

Persuasion, Jan. 12, 2022

“Litigation thus needs to focus on defending individuals who suffer concrete reputational damage from false and malicious claims: the Ruby Freemans and Shaye Mosses of the world. Unlike professional politicians, ordinary citizens like election workers don’t sign up for the rough-and-tumble of public life, and they shouldn’t be chilled or intimidated by malicious personal destruction. With that caveat, Law for Truth holds promise. MAGA has waged a masterly campaign of asymmetric warfare against America’s liberal norms and institutions by converting the First Amendment’s robust protections for political speech into a shield for lies.”

Fighting Disinformation Through the Courts

The Markup, Jan. 8, 2022

“In the meantime, however, an increasing number of alleged victims of disinformation are taking a different approach. Rather than try to hold platforms like Facebook accountable for distributing lies, they are suing publishers directly for defamation.”