Statute Of Limitations Has Run Out On Trump's Bogus Promise To Sue The NY Times

from the fake-news dept

Fri, Oct 13th 2017 12:00pm — Mike Masnick

A year ago, we wrote in great detail about just how ridiculous it was that then Presidential candidate Donald Trump's lawyers had threatened to sue the NY Times over a story about two women who claimed that Trump had groped them inappropriately. Trump insisted to the NY Times that none of it happened, and one of his favorite lawyers, Marc Kasowitz sent a letter calling the story "reckless, defamatory, and constitutes libel per se." It also demanded the article be removed from the Times' website and that a "full and immediate retraction and apology" be posted instead. The letter insisted that "failure to do so will leave my client with no option but to pursue all available actions and remedies."

Of course, as we noted at the time, there was basically no chance that Trump would actually sue. The NY Times hit back hard with its response, and it's not a paper easily intimidated by bogus legal threats. Still, it is noteworthy that this week the one year statute of limitations on defamation claims (in New York) passed... and no lawsuit has been filed (though, amusingly, as the Hollywood Reporter points out, the Kasowitz letter demanding a retraction is still posted to Trump's website).

As we said last year about this story, it was even more evidence for why we need a strong federal anti-SLAPP law (or, at the very least, stronger state anti-SLAPP laws). New York's anti-SLAPP law remains painfully weak. And while that might not matter directly, since Trump didn't sue, the rise in these kinds of lawsuits and similar threats of lawsuits would be helped tremendously with stronger laws protecting those who the powerful seek to censor and scare. Obviously, Trump might not be too keen on signing such a law right now, but Congress should be working on this. SLAPP suits are becoming an entire industry, helping the rich and powerful silence critics. Congress has the power to stop this abuse of judicial process, and it should follow through.

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Filed Under: defamation, donald trump, marc kasowitz, new york, statute of limitations
Companies: ny times

29 Comments

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Anonymous Coward, 13 Oct 2017 @ 12:04pm

But... that might reduce their campaign contributions?!?!
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Anonymous Coward, 13 Oct 2017 @ 12:11pm

OMG!!
Trump wasn't being serious, his comments were actually hyperbole!!! Well, I never....
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Anonymous Coward, 13 Oct 2017 @ 12:17pm

Is it too late for the NY Times to sue Trump for libel?
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Anonymous Coward, 13 Oct 2017 @ 12:21pm

Re: OMG!!
I know right? But he sure does have them eating out of the palm of his hands for all the hate they have for the guy.

Like someone said... it is a fool that is insulted by something not intended to insult them, and it is an even greater fool insulted by something intended to insult them for they have played into the hands of their enemy.

Reminds me of all the folks that approve of physical violence against the Nazi... you have only played into the hands of your enemies. If I can move you to violence with only words, then you are less than your aggressor.
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Anonymous Coward, 13 Oct 2017 @ 1:01pm

Re: Re: OMG!!
What dimensional chess are we on now? I can't keep track.
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Anonymous Coward, 13 Oct 2017 @ 1:11pm

Re: Re: Re: OMG!!
It's the same chess board from since before we were born.

The political issues you agree with are justification for trampling other peoples rights.

The person that makes the first physically violent move is more wrong than the other, not really an idea that requires chess like maneuvering to understand I would say.

No matter what another person says, you should do nothing to them until they make a physical move of violence. Then you can thrash them. If you can be moved to violence over words, then you willingly stoop lower than your enemy in petty revenge. This is why you are fool, goading your enemy with words to encourage them to make bad decisions is a classic ploy. Suckers fall for it every time!
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Anonymous Coward, 13 Oct 2017 @ 1:14pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: OMG!!
lol, k
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Anonymous Coward, 13 Oct 2017 @ 1:40pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: OMG!!
Yeah Richard Spencer really won when he got punched in the face and started crying like a baby. It totally justified everything he said.

/s for the slow of understanding.
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Anonymous Coward, 13 Oct 2017 @ 4:00pm

Re: sue trump for libel
Nah, it's OK. Donald only "fake sues" people.
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Toom1275 (profile), 13 Oct 2017 @ 5:27pm

Re: Re: Re: OMG!!
It's hard to tell when he keeps shouting "King me!"
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This comment has been flagged by the community. Click here to show it

Anonymous Coward, 13 Oct 2017 @ 5:48pm

Man, you love the fuck out of that New York Times, coming to their assistance anytime you can conceivably make them look "good", (you realize this is not possible) "as if" they do no wrong in much the same way you do for your google god. What say ye Mike?, about the multiple articles that still remain in their archives to this very day, that outline multiple supposed atrocities that happened to jewish people, where each and every one of those articles boosts a 6,000,000 victim count, again and again and again and again - this BEFORE and stretching years prior to the holocaust were the same exact 6,000,000 figure is used again? Huh? Well, there's nothing you can say, because the articles are there, anyone can look them up to see exactly how fabricated most your supposed hardships actually are. Nor am I bashing anybody here. The NYT has done a fine job of bashing it's own kind via it's inbred petty selfishness. It can't let go of any article to save the reputation of the very people who put the institution in place. They jew-fucked themselves.
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Anonymous Coward, 13 Oct 2017 @ 6:02pm

Re:
You definitely don't seem insane.
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Toom1275 (profile), 13 Oct 2017 @ 6:09pm

re: seig herp
"Man, you love the fuck out of that New York Times, coming to their assistance anytime you can conceivably make them look "good""

Yeah, suuure, Techdirt https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20160822/01052335299/did-ny-times-give-up-journalism-stan dards-second-facebook-threw-few-million-way.shtml has https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20170918/012 31738230/shockingly-ny-times-columnist-is-totally-clueless-about-internet.shtml just https://www.tec hdirt.com/articles/20160609/14210334670/new-york-times-says-fair-use-300-words-will-run-you-about-18 00.shtml never https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20160125/22005433418/ny-times-files-ridiculous-copy right-lawsuit-over-book-that-mocks-nyt-glamorizing-war.shtml ever https://www.techdirt.com/articles/ 20141114/10022929142/ny-times-urgers-news-sites-to-embrace-httpsssl-article-that-cant-be-read-via-ht tps.shtml criticized https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130522/01382223168/new-york-times-tells-sta rtup-it-cant-even-mention-ny-times.shtml the Times https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20101018/17192811473/ny-times-sues-kachingle-over-publicity- stunt-making-publicity-stunt-that-much-more-effective.shtml for https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20 100119/2318397826.shtml anything https://www.techdirt.com/blog/?tag=ny+times nope, not ever. /s

You were saying, Nazi scumtroll?
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Anonymous Coward, 13 Oct 2017 @ 6:21pm

Re: Re:
That list of links is widely disseminated. To this day the NYT has "no comment" about them. When you follow the links and study the articles, it's kind of obvious that you've been had and who you've been had by.
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Anonymous Coward, 13 Oct 2017 @ 6:37pm

Re: Re: Re:
Yes, people tend not to have comments on batshit.
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Anonymous Coward, 13 Oct 2017 @ 8:00pm

Re:
You done godwinned yourself good son. Also fuck you you piece of shit holocaust denier.
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techflaws (profile), 13 Oct 2017 @ 10:11pm

Re:
I'm surprised you imbecile could use Google to find this article. Kudos!
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Matthew Cline (profile), 14 Oct 2017 @ 5:17am

Re: OMG!!
So Trump's lawyer sending a letter to the NYT was also hyperbole?
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Anonymous Coward, 14 Oct 2017 @ 7:16am

Re: OMG!!
Nothing he says can be taken seriously as it is all trumpshit, however, the effect of his babbling is real and is a huge problem. He needs to stfu.
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DJT, 14 Oct 2017 @ 1:51pm

Re:
Hey Bannon, is that you?
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Anonymous Coward, 14 Oct 2017 @ 10:50pm

From the "NO ONE GIVES A FUCK" dept.
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That One Guy (profile), 15 Oct 2017 @ 3:01am

Re:
And another victim of the magical coding appears. Truly, the world had best hope that TD never turns to evil and weaponizes the coding they have put together, lest they conquer all internet connected countries overnight with their power.
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Toom1275 (profile), 15 Oct 2017 @ 7:11am

Re: Re: Re: Re: OMG!!
Perhaps he'd stop if someone could help him understand that his checkers need to be on the far side of the board for that to work.
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Anonymous Coward, 15 Oct 2017 @ 7:44am

Re: Re: OMG!!
"eating out of the palm of his hands"

Ewwwwww - gross!

Considering where those hands have been
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Alasdair Fox (profile), 16 Oct 2017 @ 5:19am

Re: Re: Re: OMG!!
To be fair though, you probably wouldn't catch anything, as the surface area of the hands is so small. Your greatest risk would be starving instead.
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JEDIDIAH, 16 Oct 2017 @ 7:52am

Re: Re: OMG!!
All it takes to "sue someone" is $250 and a passion for adventure. It's not exactly a high bar in terms of "retribution" or whatever you want to call it.

Not sure "Trump supporters" really cared though. It sounds more like something to get Hillary voters riled up about. Any time you see stuff like this you have to ask yourself who is really supposed to be subject to the "adrenal response". Who is supposed to get "excited and outraged"?
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Toom1275 (profile), 16 Oct 2017 @ 2:06pm

Re: re: seig herp
Just curious, did I break the threading for my above reply by customizing the subject line?
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That One Guy (profile), 16 Oct 2017 @ 3:28pm

Testing just to be sure
I've changed the subject line in a reply several times and it doesn't turn it into a new comment, so don't think so. A few days ago there were responses scattered about in the comment section though, so might be something on the site's end.
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Toom1275 (profile), 17 Oct 2017 @ 7:38am

Re: Testing just to be sure
Okay. As the timestamp shows, I posted my comment shortly after the "you don't seem insane" one, but it's kind of obvious why it got held up in moderation for three days. Not being involved in programming the site, I can guess that maybe the delay, or perhaps because the comment was collapsed during the wait, may have influenced something. Idk. At least it's fairly obvious where it belongs in the thread, so whatever glitch it was, there's no real harm.
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