Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin’s lawyers will reportedly subpoena nearly two dozen New York Times reporters, editors, and employees and ask the Times to produce “every internal communication it has had about her since 2011” for her defamation lawsuit.
According to a New York Post report, based on court documents released on Wednesday, the Times’ lawyers whined that Palin’s legal team intends to subpoena “twenty-three non-party current and former Times reporters, editors and other employees” in addition to demanding the internal communications.
Palin’s legal team is reportedly seeking “documents that might reveal, among other things, their ‘negative feelings’ toward her. ”
In a June editorial published just hours after House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-LA) was shot on a baseball field, the Times falsely accused Palin of inspiring Jared Lee Loughner in his assassination of attempt of former Rep. Gabby Giffords (D-AZ) in 2011. Palin’s lawyers, who are heavyweights who successfully represented Hulk Hogan against Gawker media, later sued the Times for defamation in Manhattan federal court in the Southern District of New York.
Citing the Times’ own articles, Palin’s lawyers argued that the Times knew there was no link between Palin and the Giffords shooting. In addition, Palin’s legal team cited a story written by left-wing Times columnist Charles Blow to show that “there is existing hostility held toward Mrs. Palin” and the Gray Lady knows that “her name and attacks upon her inflame passions and thereby drive viewership and Web clicks to media companies.”
“The Times published the Palin Article with actual knowledge that stories attacking Mrs. Palin inflame passions, which drives viewership and Web clicks,” the complaint read. “Thus, The Times knowingly and voluntarily exploited and retained a benefit conferred by Mrs. Palin, in special circumstances particular to this case in which it would be inequitable for The Times to retain that benefit without paying the value thereof to Mrs. Palin.”
The Times has claimed it made an “honest mistake” when it smeared Palin and its lawyers are asking the court to throw out Palin’s defamation lawsuit.
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