A Kentucky high school student who made national headlines following a standoff with a Native American activist in Washington, D.C. is now suing the Washington Post for $250 million.
A Kentucky high school student who made national headlines following a standoff with a Native American activist in Washington, D.C. is now suing the Washington Post for $250 million.
Covington Catholic High School student Nicholas Sandmann is suing the paper for the exact amount owner Jeff Bezos paid for the paper in 2013.
Sandmann was the subject of national attention when he confronted Native American activist Nathan Phillips during a tense situation. Sandmann and fellow students were on a field trip at the Lincoln Memorial when Phillips approached the students.
Sandmann, who at the time was wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat, stood in front of Phillips in what he says was an effort to “diffuse the situation.”
The confrontation led to a swarm of media coverage which Sandmann’s suit claims resulted in a modern for of McCarthyism against the teen.
Represented by Todd V. McMurty in Kentucky and L. Lin Wood of Atlanta, the suit states the Washington Post “engaged in a modern-day form of McCarthyism by competing with CNN and NBC among others, to claim leadership of a mainstream and social media mob of bullies which attacked, vilified, and threatened” Nicholas, “an innocent secondary school child.”
The suit goes on to claim the 16-year-old was targeted by the Post because he was a white, Catholic student wearing a MAGA cap. Specifically, the suit claims the Post “conveyed that Nicholas engaged in acts of racism by “swarming” Phillips, “blocking” his exit away from the students, and otherwise engaging in racist misconduct.
The Post is also accused of having a biased agenda against President Trump and saw the confrontation as a way to advance it’s agenda. The suit calls for a $250 million judgement for Sandmann in damages and in an effort to “punish, deter, and teach the Post a lesson it will never forget.”
In a statement to Reuters, Washington Post Vice President for Communications Kristine Coratti Kelly stated they are reviewing the suit and “plan to mount a vigorous defense.”
President Trump also weighed in on the lawsuit Wednesday, taking to Twitter to offer his support, quoting a line in the suit and stating “Go get them Nick. Fake News!”
The suit was filed on Tuesday in the U.S. District Court Eastern District of Kentucky.
