NBCUniversal and MSNBC host Rachel Maddow have filed an anti-SLAPP motion against rocker-turned Christian minister Bradlee Dean, who filed a defamation suit against Maddow last year.
The network filed its response to Dean’s lawsuit last July, and with its new motion is seeking to have the case dismissed outright. An SLAPP lawsuit is meant to intimidate defendants by burdening them with legal fees until they cave in. Some states and jurisdictions, have very strict anti-SLAPP regulations.
The Hollywood Reporter has the details of the suit, and why NBCU and Maddow believe it should be dismissed.
“One, the broadcasts truthfully reported on Dean’s May 15th statements. Those broadcasts re-played original audio of Dean speaking on the May 15th radio show. Dean does not – and cannot – allege that he did not make those controversial statements. The fact that NBCUniversal broadcast the essence but not the entirety of what Dean said during that radio show, as he now protests, does not change this analysis. Dean bears sole responsibility for the consequences of his words, however much he may try to distance himself from the backlash.”