Judge finds Byrne not liable in Coomer defamation suit
Original title: Lawsuit against Ex-Overstock CEO tied to 2020 election film falls apart over question of ‘actual malice’
The Florida ruling applies Colorado’s actual-malice test and does not decide whether the film’s election claims were false.
U.S. District Judge Tom Barber ruled that former Overstock CEO Patrick Byrne is not liable in a 2022 defamation suit by Eric Coomer, a former Dominion Voting Systems director of product strategy and security. The case concerns Byrne’s 2020 film “The Deep Rig,” in which Joseph Oltmann claimed Coomer said he “made sure” Donald Trump would not win. Barber said Coomer lacked clear and convincing evidence that Byrne subjectively doubted the story. Dominion was not a party; Byrne’s lawyer called the summary judgment a victory.
Unconfirmed: The judge did not decide whether the film’s allegations were false.
- Colorado law required proof Byrne believed the statements were untrue or recklessly disregarded the truth.
- Barber left most substantive claims, including responsibility for Oltmann’s lines, undecided.
- The article says Dominion won more than $1.8 billion in separate settlements over two years.
- Organizations
- Dominion Voting Systems
- Countries
- United States
From the original article
4 min read at cyberscoop.com
The lawsuit, brought by a former executive at Dominion Voting Systems, concerns comments made in a 2020 film financed by Byrne titled “The Deep Rig.” The post Lawsuit against Ex-Overstock CEO tied to 2020 election film falls apart over question of ‘actual malice’ appeared first on CyberScoop.
By djohnson · cyberscoop.com
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