On Monday, the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) settled a defamation suit filed by Muslim reformer Maajid Nawaz, whom the SPLC maligned as an "anti-Muslim extremist." On Tuesday, PJ Media reported that no fewer than 60 organizations are considering similar lawsuits against the SPLC. The organization is still facing a lawsuit from D. James Kennedy Ministries (DJKM), a Christian organization falsely labeled a "hate group."
The SPLC is in serious legal jeopardy in the DJKM case at least, because its "hate group" labels arguably fit all the requirements for defamation. Most damningly, the SPLC attacked DJKM years before publicly admitting that "our aim in life is to destroy these groups." ...
John Rabe, a spokesman for DJKM, put his central complaint against the SPLC in a clear, pithy statement: "Stop lumping in Christians and conservatives with neo-Nazis and skin heads. Or if you’re going to do it, let everyone know you are just a far-left advocacy group and nothing more," he said. ...
On Wednesday, 47 nonprofit leaders — including representatives of DJKM, FRC, ADF, and the Ruth Institute — warned "editors, CEOs, shareholders and consumers alike are on notice: anyone relying upon and repeating its misrepresentations is complicit in the SPLC's harmful defamation of large numbers of American citizens."
This warning, coming as it did in the context of "about 60 groups" considering legal action against the SPLC, should terrify the news outlets and companies that championed the "hate group" list, from CNN, ABC, and NBC to Google, Amazon, and Apple. The case against the SPLC is solid, and organizations should take care not to associate with the "hate group" defamations.
It sure looks like the SPLC itself is the actual hate group here. I hope our legal system works and causes them to be more cautious about their reckless allegations.
Also deserving of defamation lawsuits: NPR, NY Times, and the Washington Post.
It sure looks like the SPLC itself is the actual hate group here. I hope our legal system works and causes them to be more cautious about their reckless allegations.
Also deserving of defamation lawsuits: NPR, NY Times, and the Washington Post.