Two courts have now told a Republican political strategist that she can’t sue President Donald Trump just because he said something that hurt her feelings.
Public relations specialist Cheri Jacobus first sued Trump for defamation in January. According to her, Trump incited a “virtual mob” against her after she questioned his fitness for office on television last year. After the debate in Iowa, she even went so far as to ask CNN not to air Trump’s campaign rallies.
Following Jacobus’s criticism, Trump posted several tweets calling her a “real dummy!” and a “major loser” with “zero credibility” who had “begged” him for a job on his presidential campaign. In retaliation, Jacobus sued. But the case was dismissed by New York state court Judge Barbara Jaffe.
Jacobus promptly appealed – and on Tuesday, a five-judge appeals court panel in Manhattan upheld the lower-court ruling. The court determined that Trump’s statements about Jacobus were “too vague, subjective, and lacking precise meaning” to be defamatory, and that any reasonable person would find them to be opinion and not fact.
The court, of course, is correct. As Trump attorney Lawrence S. Rosen reasoned, “Just because speech may be offensive to someone doesn’t make it defamatory. The president is entitled to his opinion just like anyone else is.”
But Jacobus doesn’t seem to think Trump has a right to an opinion. Her attorney, Jay R. Butterman, said he intends to ask the state’s highest court to hear the case. “What this decision means is that the free speech is given only to those who have the power and authority to control the media,” Butterman said.
Is Jacobus certain she’s a Republican? Because she’s sure acting like a triggered liberal. The First Amendment protects ALL speech – not just the speech that aligns with your opinions and ideologies. Jacobus and her attorney should know better.
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