RFK Jr. Ends Suit Against YouTube Over Anti-Vax Video Removals

Former presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. voluntarily dropped his free speech lawsuit against Google LLC over allegations that YouTube censored his videos containing vaccine misinformation.

The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit on Thursday granted Kennedy’s voluntary dismissal and said each party will bear their own costs and fees.

Kennedy’s decision to drop the suit comes after a San Francisco federal trial court judge dismissed his case in September. Kennedy, who ended his presidential race and endorsed president-elect Donald Trump, appealed the decision to the Ninth Circuit.

Trump said Thursday that he’s nominating Kennedy for Secretary of Health and Human Services.

Kennedy first sued the Alphabet Inc. unit in 2023, alleging the tech company violated his First Amendment rights by enforcing medical misinformation policies that were guided by the Biden administration. The complaint pointed to YouTube’s removal of a video of Kennedy’s speech at a New Hampshire college and other videos where he questioned vaccine safety.

The trial court denied his motion for a preliminary injunction, which was upheld by the Ninth Circuit. Both courts found that Kennedy lacked evidence to show that YouTube had removed the videos at the behest of the government.

JW Howard Attorneys Ltd. represents Kennedy. Munger Tolles & Olson LLP represents Google.

The case is Kennedy v. Google LLC, 9th Cir., No. 24-5607, 11/14/24.