A federal judge reinstated part of a lawsuit against The Washington Post filed by the family of a Kentucky teenager that alleged the newspaper libeled the teen in its coverage of his encounter with a Native American activist at the Lincoln Memorial earlier this year.
Judge William O. Bertelsman, who rejected the suit in July on First Amendment grounds, said Monday he would allow it to go forward, but narrowed its scope from 33 published statements to three.
The family of Nicholas Sandmann filed suit against The Post in February, alleging that the paper “targeted and bullied” the 16-year-old in articles about his role in an incident involving Nathan Phillips, a Native American advocate. The family sought $250 million in damages.
The Washington Post:
Read ruling here:
The judge will allow discovery to go forward on the following statements The Washington Post made:
- Sandmann had “blocked” Phillips when he walked down the memorial’s stairs.
- Sandmann “would not allow him to retreat.”
