The clinic of media freedom and information access (MFIA) at the Yale Law School, who worked together with the protection of democracy and law firm in Georgia and Missouri, was sufficient on December 2, 2021 against the website gateway expert from two women, who as election workers in Fulton County, Georgia, in the election of Fulton County, Lawsuit of defamation submitted.
The MFIA team that worked on the lawsuit comprises the students of the Yale Law School, Stephanie Rice '23, and Chelsea Thomeer '23. MFIA and Protect Democracy represent Freeman and Moss in cooperation with the law firm Dubose Miller LLC and Dowd Bennett LLP as well as Kastorf Law, LLC.
The lawsuit, which was submitted to the Circuit Court of St. Louis, calculates the Gateway expert together with the founding editor Jim Hoft and the participant Joe Hoft with knowingly false stories about the behavior of Ruby Freeman and her daughter Shaye Moss.
Read the complaint
As claimed in the complaint, the Gateway expert repeatedly published unconfirmed claims that Freeman and Moss fell a large election fraud that recorded the presidential election in Georgia to Joe Biden. Based on a misinterpretation of a few minutes from the surveillance camera from the ballot -tabulation center in Fulton County, the allegations were initially raised by the Trump campaign that some unnamed survey workers hid suitcases that were filled with fraudulent voters, and they counted after Poll had gone for night. The accusation was definitely refuted by Georgia's election officers within 24 hours and is not supported by observing the full 14 -hour video video video of the day in question.
When the lawsuit is characterized, the gateway expert repeated the wrong claim in the following weeks and months and accused Freeman and Moos of a number of misdeeds, including the falsifications of a water break, to provide them to provide them to bring them to their suitcases full of fraudsters to bring the fabric through the fabric. Count machines several times. The complaint claims that none is true and that the gateway expert and his journalists knowingly spread the wrong claims to win readership for their personal “fame and fortune”.
As a result of the defamation of the gateway expert, the complaint was claimed that Freeman and Moss were slandered on social media and underwent violent, racist threats and harassment.
On January 6, 2021, a lot of walking surrounded and Freeman's house vehicles surrounded. At the recommendation of the FBI, she fled her house and did not return for two months. The complaint also describes how strangers appeared on the home of the grandmother of Moss on at least two occasions and tried to push into the house in order to make a “civil arrest”. The plaintiffs apply for compensation and penalty for the damage that the Gateway expert is supposed to be added to them.
“This is the type of Loss of Loss of Complaint that allow them,” said Floyd Abrams, the lawyer of First Amendment. “The complaint shows terribly wrongly the plaintiffs who sue their harmful injured reputation from statements that were written with knowledge of their falsehood. The first change not only does not offer protection for such statements, but exactly the situation in which the dragonfly representatives are most needed.”
“As an impartial election officer, Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss are essential workers in our democracy,” said Michael Linhorst, clinical lecturer for law and Craig Newmark Fellow at the Yale Law School. “Instead of being celebrated, they were exposed to terrible abuse, their reputation has suffered and their life is at risk. They are courageous to submit this lawsuit to prevent future attacks on people who help to do our democracy.”
According to the MFIA Clinic Director and Floyd Abrams Clinical Docturer in Law David Schulz '78, the clinic agreed to take over this case, since “the type of disinformation campaign, which was conducted by the Gateway expert, undermining the ability of our democracy. Combating the disinformation sources and lies, which is practical make impossible. “
Schulz added: “This is not only a worthy effort to promote the MFIA mission, but also the opportunity to offer the YLS students valuable educational opportunities.”
The clinic of freedom of media and the access to the information on the Yale Law School is devoted to the increase in the transparency of the government, the defense of the essential work of news sources and the protection of freedom of expression through the effects of legal disputes, direct legal services and political work.
