Well deserved.
Covington Catholic High School student Nicholas Sandmann’s $250 million defamation suit against the Washington Post can move forward, a federal judge ruled Monday.
U.S. District Judge William Bertelsman of Kentucky partially reversed his July ruling which had dismissed the case. He has now decided to allow three of the 33 allegedly defamatory statements made by the Washington Post about Sandmann to be challenged in court.
On January 18, Sandmann and some Covington classmates were in Washington, D.C. to participate in the March for Life. Several were wearing “MAGA” hats. A video of the children went viral at the time, appearing to show them blocking the path of, and mocking, Native American Nathan Phillips, who appeared to defiantly beat a drum and chant at Sandmann in protest.
The students were subsequently smeared as racists and harassed online. Covington Catholic High School canceled classes for several days as a safety precaution.
Longer videos that surfaced shortly thereafter show that Nathan Phillips had actually approached the students and initiated the event, banging his drum loudly and chanting in very close proximity to Sandmann’s face. There was also a group black nationalists nearby harassing the youths, yelling slurs such as “f****t” and “cracker” at the them.
The three allegedly defamatory statements Judge Bertelsman is allowing to proceed to court are assertions in Washington Post’s coverage that Sandmann blocked Phillips’ path, setting off the confrontation.