Don BLANKENSHIP, Plaintiff-Appellant,
v.
NBCUNIVERSAL, LLC; CNBC, LLC, Defendants-Appellees, Does 1-50, inclusive, Defendant. and
Does 1-50, inclusive, Defendant.
Don Blankenship, Plaintiff-Appellant,
Fox News Network, L.L.C.; Cable News Network, Incorporated; MSNBC Cable LLC; WP Company LLC, d/b/a The Washington Post; Does 1-50, inclusive; Mediaite, LLC; FiscalNote, Inc., d/b/a Roll Call; News and Guts, LLC; The Charleston Gazette-Mail; American Broadcasting Companies, Inc.; Tamar Auber; Griffin Connolly; Eli Lehrer, Defendants-Appellees, and
Honorable Andrew Napolitano, (Ret.); National Republican Senatorial Committee; Associated Press; Boston Globe Media Partners, LLC; Breitbart News Network, LLC; Clarity Media Group, Inc.; The Washington Times, LLC; Tribune Publishing Company, LLC; Los Angeles Times Communications, LLC; Neil Cavuto; Chris Hayes; Sarah Elizabeth Cupp; Bradley Blakeman; John Layfield; Stephanie Hamill; Kevin McLaughlin; Leigh Ann Caldwell; Michael Patrick Leahy; Josh Dawsey; Jenna Johnson; Ben Wolfgang; Michael Warren; Cathleen Decker; NBCUniversal, LLC; CNBC, LLC; Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee; The National Journal Group, LLC; Watauga Watch; Down With Tyranny; National Public Radio, Incorporated; The Guardian News & Media, LLC; Dow Jones & Company, Incorporated, d/b/a Market Watch; Univision Communications, Incorporated, d/b/a Splinter News; International Media Investments FZ, LLC, d/b/a The National; The Daily Beast Company LLC; Hearst Magazine Media, Inc, d/b/a Esquire Magazine; Hayride Media, LLC; Nowthis Media, Inc.; The Union Leader Corporation; Capitol Hill Publishing, Inc, d/b/a The Hill; Commie Girl Industries, Inc., d/b/a Wonkette; Daily Mail and General Trust PLC; Vice Media, LLC; The 74 Media, Inc., d/b/a The 74 Million; Breakfast Media, LLC; The McClatchy Company, d/b/a The Sacramento Bee; Observer Media Group, LLC, d/b/a The Observer; Garnett Co. Inc., d/b/a York Daily Record; Salem Media Group, Inc., d/b/a Townhall; Verizon Media, LLC, d/b/a The Huffington Post; Joy Ann Lomena-Reid; Zack Colman; Lauren Passalacqua; Ben Ray; David Bergstein; Courtney Rice; Justin Lavoie; John Krushaar; Howie Klein; Susan Davis; Ben Jacobs; Dan Rather; Holly Figueroa O'Reilly; Joe Lockhart; J. W. Williamson; Rachel Koning Beals; Chris Jones; Jim Heath; Nicole Hensley; Paul Blest; Rashmee Roshan Lall; Gideon Resnick; Dana Milbank; Charles Pierce; Matt Howerton; Elizabeth McDonald; Rob Persey; Jen Kerns; David Martosko; Martin Pengelly; Matt Taylor; Kevin Mahnken; Andrew Feinberg; John Raby; Ben Boychuk; Amber Phillips; Brian Schwartz; Michelangelo Signorile; Bruce Bialosky; Mike Argento; Davis Richardson; Marketwatch, Inc.; 35th Inc., Defendants.
Don Blankenship, Plaintiff-Appellant,
v.
Boston Globe Media Partners, LLC; d/b/a The Boston Globe; Does 1-50, inclusive, Defendants-Appellees.
United States Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit.https://leagle.com/images/logo.png
Argued: December 7, 2022.
Decided: February 22, 2023.
Attorney(s) appearing for the Case
ARGUED: Eric Peter Early , EARLY SULLIVAN WRIGHT GIZER & MCRAE LLP, Los Angeles, California, for Appellant. Kevin Taylor Baine , WILLIAMS & CONNOLLY LLP, Washington, D.C., for Appellee. ON BRIEF: Jeremy J.F. Gray , Lisa M. Zepeda , Padideh Zargari , EARLY SULLIVAN WRIGHT GIZER & MCRAE LLP, Los Angeles, California; Jeffrey S. Simpkins , SIMPKINS LAW, Williamson, West Virginia, for Appellant. Stephen J. Fuzesi , Gloria K. Maier , Matthew D. Heins , Katelyn R. Adams , WILLIAMS & CONNOLLY LLP, Washington, D.C., for Appellees American Broadcasting Companies, Inc.; Cable News Network, Inc.; Fox News Network LLC; MSNBC Cable, LLC; WP Company LLC; CNBC, LLC; and NBCUniversal, LLC. Kelli L. Sager, Los Angeles, California, Eric Feder, DAVIS WRIGHT TREMAINE LLP, Washington, D.C., for Appellee American Broadcasting, Inc. Elbert Lin , HUNTON ANDREWS KURTH LLP, Richmond, Virginia, for Appellee Fox News Network LLC. Jared M. Tully , Mary Claire Davis , Charleston, West Virginia, Ryan W. Goellner , Cincinnati, Ohio, Kevin T. Shook , FROST BROWN TODD LLC, Columbus, Ohio, for Appellees MSNBC Cable, LLC; CNBC, LLC; and NBCUniversal, LLC. Lonnie C. Simmons , DIPIERO SIMMONS MCGINLEY & BASTRESS, PLLC, Charleston, West Virginia, for Appellees Mediaite, LLC and Tamar Auber. Robert M. Bastress, III , DIPIERO SIMMONS MCGINLEY & BASTRESS, PLLC, Charleston, West Virginia, for Appellee The Charleston Gazette-Mail. Jennifer S. Jackman , WHITEFORD, TAYLOR & PRESTON, LLP, Washington, D.C., for Appellee Eli Lehrer. Allen M. Gardner , LATHAM & WATKINS LLP, Washington, D.C., for Appellees Fiscal Note, Inc. and Griffin Connolly. Chris Vlahos , Jenna Harris , RITHOLZ LEVY FIELDS, LLP, Nashville, Tennessee; William D. Wilmoth , STEPTOE & JOHNSON, PLC, Wheeling, West Virginia, for Appellee News and Guts, LLC.
Affirmed by published opinion. Chief Judge Gregory wrote the opinion, in which Judge Niemeyer and Judge Giles joined.
GREGORY, Chief Judge:
Following an unsuccessful campaign for one of West Virginia's U.S. Senate seats, Don Blankenship sued numerous media organizations and individual journalists, alleging defamation, false light invasion of privacy, and civil conspiracy. Blankenship's claims arise from misstatements of his criminal record: he was convicted and...
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