Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin answers questions from the media as she arrives at a federal court in Manhattan on February 15, 2022 in New York.
Timothy A. Clary | AFP | Getty Images
A federal jury in New York on Tuesday found that The New York Times had not defamed Sarah Palin with a 2017 editorial that linked a political action committee of the one-time Republican vice presidential nominee with the shooting of a member of Congress.
The jury verdict came a day after the judge in the case said he would dismiss Palin’s lawsuit against the Times.
But Judge Jed Rakoff in making that decision Monday had said he would let the jury continue deliberations in the case and reach a verdict.
Rakoff, saying he expected Palin to appeal his dismissal, said an appeals court “would greatly benefit from knowing how the jury would decide it.”
Rakoff’s ruling was based on his finding that Palin’s reputation had not been damaged by the editorial.
Times spokeswoman Danielle Rhoades Ha, in an emailed statement Tuesday, said, “The New York Times welcomes today’s verdict.”
“It is a reaffirmation of a fundamental tenet of American law: public figures should not be permitted to use libel suits to punish or intimidate news organizations that make, acknowledge and swiftly correct unintentional errors,” the spokeswoman said.
“It is gratifying that the jury and the judge understood the legal protections for the news media and our vital role in American society. We also want to thank the jurors for their careful deliberations in a difficult area of the law.”
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