Meier Watkins Phillips Pusch LLP

A great time was had at the first (annual?) firm retreat for Meier Watkins Phillips Pusch LLP.

I try my best to stay current on the interesting defamation lawsuits that seem to be filed more frequently in the past few years. The Baby Reindeer litigation is no exception. Grateful that Reuters News Agency was kind enough to reach out and get my thoughts on that case and Netflix's potential response. #defamationlawyer #inthenews #libel #slander Meier Watkins Phillips Pusch LLP

We’re thrilled to announce that Chambers and Partners has ranked Meier Watkins Phillips Pusch LLP, Megan L. Meier, Daniel Watkins, and Andrew Phillips among the top #defamation lawyers in the world for #HighNetWorth matters. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/emfHJ7Fq.

In 1804, a New York #journalist was convicted of #defaming then-President #ThomasJefferson and other #publicofficials. The #jury wasn't asked to decide whether the journalist's claims were false, just whether he was the one who'd published them under a pseudonym. On appeal, #AlexanderHamilton represented the journalist, arguing that true statements shouldn't ever be considered #defamatory. The judges deadlocked and the conviction stood. The next year, the New York Legislature wrote Hamilton's argument into state law, breaking from the English common law rule and protecting publishers from defamation liability for publishing true accusations. Over the last two centuries, American and English law have both evolved to become more protective of #freespeech, but the U.S. remains a global outlier in its extraordinary protections for the #freepress. This has inured to the benefit of newspapers including #TheNewYorkPost, which Alexander Hamilton founded. #HappyIndependenceDay! #HappyFourth! Meier Watkins Phillips Pusch LLP Daniel Watkins Andrew Phillips Dustin Pusch Mark Thomson Shannon Timmann Amy McCann Roller Hannah Menchel Kayla Mozier Alexis Chandler Kayla Bussert Christine E Thomas

Sticking your head in the sand isn’t a great strategy when it comes to responding to the press in times of crisis and existential threats to your reputation. Meier Watkins Phillips Pusch LLP

I love this team. #GoNats #nationals #DC #Teamwork Shannon Timmann Amy McCann Roller Hannah Menchel Leanna Solomin Alexis Chandler Andrew Phillips Dustin Pusch Kayla Bussert Kayla Mozier Christine E Thomas Margaret Phillips Daniel Watkins Mark Thomson

Meier Watkins Phillips Pusch LLP co-founder Daniel Watkins was recently quoted in a Reuters story for his analysis of the recent $170 million lawsuit against Netflix arising from its hit series, "Baby Reindeer." The article is available here: https://lnkd.in/ew6G-8a3.

Meier Watkins Phillips Pusch LLP co-founder Daniel Watkins was recently quoted in a Reuters story for his analysis of the recent $170 million lawsuit against Netflix arising from its hit series, "Baby Reindeer." The article is available here: https://lnkd.in/ew6G-8a3.

In 2007, ABC's 20/20 program broadcast a segment criticizing wealthy pastors, and included footage of a very wealthy pastor saying: "I live in a 25-room mansion.  I have my own $6 million yacht. I have my own private jet, and I have my own helicopter, and I have seven luxury automobiles.” The pastor sued for #defamation, because he hadn't been bragging about his own wealth, but had been giving a sermon and speaking from the perspective of a hypothetical rich guy who'd lost his faith. His defamation claim: A) was dismissed because the news program showed real video footage of the pastor actually saying those things; B) was dismissed because the pastor was actually wealthy and travelled in a private jet, so the claims in the video were substantially true; or C) was dimissed, but then the dismissal was reversed because ABC presented the quote in a misleading context that altered viewers' understanding of the pastor's words. The answer is C. A broadcaster risks a defamation action when it broadcasts "a statement actually made by a public figure, but presents the statement in a misleading context, thereby changing the viewer's understanding of the speaker's words." See Price v. Stossel.

Have you noticed that #conspiracytheories are more popular than ever? They may seem harmless, but conspiracy theories can have dire consequences. After Fox News misled millions of people into believing that the 2020 election had been rigged by a Venezuelan vote-flipping algorithm, employees of Dominion Voting Systems (and the public servants who defended Dominion) were besieged by death threats and harassment. For representing Dominion, I received threatening hate mail like a postcard depicting an aborted baby and a cease-and-desist letter from a firm claiming to represent Jesus Christ. But the hate mail didn't stop us from pursuing #defamation litigation that exposed Fox's deceptive tactics, established the falsity of the #BigLie, and achieved financial accountability to the tune of $787.5M. But even after the historic Dominion settlement, conspiracy theories continue to pop up. Since founding Meier Watkins Phillips Pusch LLP, Dustin Pusch and I have represented a number of companies who--like Dominion--have faced threats and harassment because of false conspiracy theories about everything from their #tech to their #laborpractices to their #DEI programs to the #healthcare services they provide (or don't provide) to children. Fortunately for my clients and the integrity of the public record, the media outlets who published these conspiracy theories had the good sense to #retract their false claims after we reached out to them with the facts. If Fox News had done that when I first wrote to them shortly after the 2020 election, things might have turned out very differently. https://lnkd.in/gkCWEKR4