Appeals court rules Trump cannot revive 'Big Lie' lawsuit against CNN
The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that President Donald Trump cannot revive his defamation lawsuit against CNN for using the term "Big Lie" to describe his view that he won the 2020 presidential election.
Trump could next appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Last November, a panel of three federal judges found that Trump failed to prove "falsity" in his lawsuit against CNN.
Trump filed the defamation lawsuit against the network after it repeatedly used the term "Big Lie" to describe his false claims about the 2020 presidential election, and seeking $475 million in damages.
Trump's legal team argued that CNN's repeated use of the phrase — in reference to Trump's baseless allegations that the election was stolen — constituted defamation and caused harm to his reputation and business interests. CNN defended its coverage as accurate reporting on Trump's false election claims, arguing that the network was engaged in protected speech and opinion commentary when characterizing Trump's statements.
Legal experts noted that Trump faced a steep legal burden under U.S. defamation law, which requires public figures to prove that media outlets acted with "actual malice" by knowingly publishing false information or with reckless disregard for the truth.