Suit against John Oliver and HBO dismissed

I embedded a video from the Washington Post over the jump of Seth Meyers and John Oliver on coal and hawks for Cut Your Energy Costs Day and Save the Eagles Day that explained John Oliver's legal issues resulting for a segment on coal.

The Washington Post reported...Why a coal titan is suing John Oliver for defamation.

In a segment on the decline of the coal industry and President Trump’s promises to bring it back, John Oliver railed against the Murray Energy Corporation and chief executive Robert E. Murray.

As George Takei would say, oh, my!  Good luck to Oliver, HBO, and Time-Warner in defending against this frivolous strategic lawsuit against public participation (S.L.A.P.P.).

Both luck and the law were on their side.  John Oliver himself broke the news on Sunday.


Oliver was short on specifics, but (not really) The Hollywood Reporter had more in John Oliver, HBO Beat Coal Executive's Defamation Lawsuit.


That video does not have a good descriptive text beneath it to quote, but Deadline Hollywood's John Oliver, HBO Score Legal Victory Over Coal King: First Amendment Protects “Geriatric Dr. Evil” Jab does.

John Oliver and HBO’s Last Week Tonight had a First Amendment right to call coal king Robert Murray a “geriatric Dr. Evil” and ridicule his Murray Energy Corporation in a scathing segment last June, says the West Virginia judge presiding over Murray’s defamation lawsuit.

Judge Jeffrey Cramer of West Virginia’s second judicial circuit notified attorneys on both sides of the dispute this week that HBO’s motion to dismiss the suit would be granted.

Ruled Cramer: “I find the arguments set forth in the Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss for Failure to State a Claim and Reply well-founded, appropriate in this matter and will grant the same. The Court adopts, with little exception, Defendants’ argument in support of their Motion regarding all issues addressed in the same.”

Congratulations to HBO, Oliver, and especially their lawyers for defending Oliver's right to tell the truth while being hilariously funny on the best talk variety show on television two years running.  Here's to a third year of his show being on top!