A federal appeals court has ruled that Project Veritas can proceed with its defamation lawsuit against CNN over statements made about the group’s 2021 Twitter suspension. The ruling is a significant development in a case involving allegations of media bias.
The lawsuit stems from comments by former CNN host Ana Cabrera, who stated that Project Veritas was suspended for “promoting disinformation.” The group argues that the suspension was actually for publishing private information, a reason Twitter itself cited at the time.
Project Veritas wins their defamation appeal against CNN where Ana Cabrera strongly implied they were banned from Twitter for misinformation which was false.https://t.co/LDUV8n5isR pic.twitter.com/UPuwRHep3B
— Adam Ruffin (@ruffinappeals) November 7, 2024
The 11th US Circuit Court of Appeals determined that Project Veritas had plausibly alleged actual malice, a high legal standard requiring proof that CNN knowingly spread false information or acted with reckless disregard for the truth. Circuit Judge Elizabeth Branch noted that viewers could interpret the accusation of disinformation as more damaging than the actual reason.
The case had been dismissed in 2022 by US District Judge Steve Jones, who ruled that Cabrera’s statements were “substantially true.” The appeals court disagreed, stating the distinction between the two explanations was significant.
Project Veritas has filed another lawsuit today — this time against @CNN for making false and defamatory statements with regard to Project Veritas Twitter account ban.#DeposeCNN https://t.co/TQUdwONrEh
— CPAC (@CPAC) April 27, 2021
Judge Ed Carnes supported the decision, calling CNN’s actions a failure of journalistic integrity. He wrote, “I never thought I’d see a major news organization downplaying the importance of telling the truth in its broadcasts.”
The 11th Circuit revived a lawsuit accusing CNN of defaming conservative group Project Veritas. The court said the group plausibly alleged a defamation claim after a CNN host suggested on air that the group's Twitter ban was for 'promoting disinformation' https://t.co/z7ot1SXy0x pic.twitter.com/kHCZKNpVIe
— Reuters Legal (@ReutersLegal) November 7, 2024
Project Veritas’ attorneys celebrated the ruling, saying it reinforces the need for honesty in media reporting. CNN has not commented, and Cabrera, who now works for MSNBC, is not named in the lawsuit. The case will now proceed in the lower court, where a jury trial may ultimately decide the outcome.
