CNN Avoids Lawyer’s Defamation Suit Over Covid Conspiracy Theory

A defamation claim against CNN by lawyer Larry Klayman that was related to his representation of a virologist who accused Dr. Anthony Fauci of planting Covid in Wuhan, China, was properly dismissed, the Eleventh Circuit said Thursday.

CNN reporter Oliver Darcy wrote an online article about whether the virologist’s theory should be broadcast by local networks. The article described Klayman as “a right-wing lawyer who also has a history of pushing misinformation and representing conspiracy theorists.”

Klayman sued CNN, its president, Jeffrey Zucker, and Darcy in Florida state court, where Klayman lives. The defendants removed the suit to the US ...