Current:Home > ContactUS appeals court finds for Donald Trump Jr. in defamation suit by ex-coal CEO Don Blankenship -Quantum Capital Pro
US appeals court finds for Donald Trump Jr. in defamation suit by ex-coal CEO Don Blankenship
View
Date:2025-04-12 23:17:04
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A federal appeals court rejected a bid Monday from former coal executive Don Blankenship, who argued that Donald Trump Jr. defamed him by calling him a “felon.”
The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia, left in place a lower court’s ruling in West Virginia against Blankenship, the former CEO of Massey Energy. He served a year in prison on a misdemeanor charge after he was found guilty of conspiring to violate safety standards at a West Virginia mine before an explosion in 2010 that killed 29 men.
Blankenship sued the son of then-President Donald Trump after Donald Trump Jr. posted the comment in May 2018 on social media. The appeals court found that “the record fails to show that Trump, Jr. published his statement with actual malice.”
The appeals court previously affirmed a determination by a district court that CNN, Fox News and 14 other media outlets sued by Blankenship did not act with “actual malice” amid coverage of his unsuccessful 2018 U.S. Senate campaign, even if, it said, they failed to meet journalistic standards. The U.S. Supreme Court rejected Blankenship’s appeal in that case.
The high court also previously turned away Blankenship’s appeal of his misdemeanor conviction.
veryGood! (63486)
Related
- Rams vs. 49ers highlights: LA wins rainy defensive struggle in key divisional game
- Louisville students to return to school on Friday, more than a week after bus schedule meltdown
- Norwegian climber says it would have been impossible to carry injured Pakistani porter down snowy K2
- Why Idina Menzel Says Playing Lea Michele’s Mom on Glee “Wasn’t Great” for Her Ego
- 'Kraven the Hunter' spoilers! Let's dig into that twisty ending, supervillain reveal
- Boston doctor arrested for allegedly masturbating, exposing himself on aircraft while teen sat next to him
- See how one volunteer group organized aid deliveries after fire decimates Lahaina
- What to stream this week: ‘The Monkey King,’ Stand Up to Cancer, ‘No Hard Feelings,’ new Madden game
- Nevada attorney general revives 2020 fake electors case
- Powerball winning numbers for August 12 drawing: No winner as jackpot hits $215 million
Ranking
- Apple iOS 18.2: What to know about top features, including Genmoji, AI updates
- Judge sides with young activists in first-of-its-kind climate change trial in Montana
- 3 Maryland vacationers killed and 3 more hurt in house fire in North Carolina’s Outer Banks
- Go Hands-Free With a $250 Kate Spade Belt Bag That’s on Sale for Just $99
- Macy's says employee who allegedly hid $150 million in expenses had no major 'impact'
- Little League World Series 2023 games, dates, schedule, bracket
- Chrisley Family Announces New Reality Show Amid Todd and Julie's Prison Sentences
- Survival of Wild Rice Threatened by Climate Change, Increased Rainfall in Northern Minnesota
Recommendation
Whoopi Goldberg is delightfully vile as Miss Hannigan in ‘Annie’ stage return
3 men found dead in car outside Indianapolis elementary school
Inmate dead after incarceration at Georgia jail under federal investigation
Morgan Freeman on rescuing a Black WWII tank battalion from obscurity
'We're reborn!' Gazans express joy at returning home to north
Why haven't summer's extreme heat waves caused any blackouts? Renewable energy is helping.
Biden administration urges colleges to pursue racial diversity without affirmative action
Iowa State’s Isaiah Lee, who is accused of betting against Cyclones in a 2021 game, leaves program