Lawsuit against comedian Kathy Griffin by Covington Catholic students dismissed Quinlan Bentley, Cincinnati Enquirer
The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati ruled on Tuesday that Covington Catholic students cannot bring harassment claims against nationally renowned comedian Kathy Griffin.
Judges upheld a decision by the U.S. Eastern District of Kentucky to dismiss the claims brought against Griffin and Sujana Chandrasekhar, a New Jersey-based doctor who was also named in the students complaints over statements made on social media, according to court documents.
A video went viral in 2019 of Nick Sandmann, wearing a red Make America Great Hat, and Native American elder Nathan Phillips facing each other in a crowd in front of the Lincoln Memorial. Sandmann had been on a trip with Covington Catholic classmates for the March for Life on Jan. 18, 2019.
Kentucky’s long-arm statute does not allow students to bring harassment claims against comedian Kathy Griffin and a New York doctor for tweets sent in the aftermath of a viral Washington Monument standoff.
A teenager wearing a Make America Great Again hat stands in front of an elderly Native American man in Washington on Jan. 18, 2019, in an encounter that went viral. (Survival Media Agency via AP)
CINCINNATI (CN) Several Kentucky students involved in the infamous 2019 Washington Monument standoff cannot bring harassment claims against comedian Kathy Griffin or a New York doctor in response to tweets the students claim endangered their safety, an appeals panel ruled.
The question of whether Kentucky’s long-arm statute grants jurisdiction to federal courts over tweets sent from out of state was debated at the Sixth Circuit, as students involved in the infamous 2019 Washington Monument standoff sought to reinstate harassment claims against Kathy Griffin.
A teenager wearing a Make America Great Again hat stands in front of an elderly Native American man in Washington on Jan. 18, 2019. (Survival Media Agency via AP)
CINCINNATI (CN) Students involved in the 2019 standoff with a Native American leader at the Washington Monument argued Tuesday before the Sixth Circuit to reinstate harassment and invasion of privacy claims against comedian Kathy Griffin and a New York doctor.
In this Jan. 20, 2019, file photo snow covers the grounds of Covington Catholic High School in Park Hills, Ky. (AP Photo/Lisa Cornwell)
(CN) Defamation and harassment claims brought by students at Kentucky’s Covington Catholic High School against CNN, the Washington Post and NBC were dismissed by a federal judge Wednesday after he found that none of the twelve plaintiffs had been defamed or unlawfully threatened.
The suit stems from a confrontation at the Lincoln Memorial in January of 2019 during the annual March for Life, and followed on the heels of CNN’s settlement with fellow student Nicholas Sandmann.
Sandmann’s tense encounter with Native American activist Nathan Phillips at the march went viral, sparking widespread ire on social media from commenters who objected to the school group’s alleged chants of “Build the wall” and “It’s not rape if you enjoy it” which the students say were fabricated and to perceived disrespect of Phillips, a former Mari