Covington Catholic student's lawyer plans lawsuit against CNN after suing Washington Post
Dalvin BrownCovington Catholic High School student Nick Sandmann plans to sue CNN for more than $250 million over alleged "vicious" and "direct attacks," his lawyer told Fox News. This comes just weeks after the Kentucky teen's legal team filed a lawsuit in federal court against the Washington Post.
The attorney, L. Lin Wood, will discuss his client's latest lawsuit on Fox News Channel's "Life, Liberty & Levin" on Sunday at 10 p.m. EST, Fox News reports.
“CNN was probably more vicious in its direct attacks on Nicholas than The Washington Post,” Wood told Fox News host Mark Levin. "And the dollar figure in the CNN case may be higher than it was in the Washington Post."
Wood said he plans on filing the lawsuit by Tuesday "at the latest."
"When we file our complaints we've investigated it because we want to get it right," Wood said.
The lawsuits against the two news organizations stem from an incident at the Lincoln Memorial that garnered national attention in January.
A shortened viral video shot after the March for Life rally appeared to show Sandmann and other Covington High students blocking the path of a Native American activist, Nathan Phillips. The students, many of whom wore "Make America Great Again" hats, appeared to chant and mock Phillips as he beat a drum and sang.
Longer footage of the incident later emerged, giving a more complete picture of how the event unfolded.
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An investigation by an agency hired on behalf of the Diocese of Covington, Kentucky, concluded that the students had neither instigated a standoff with Phillips nor made "offensive or racist statements."
The report acknowledged some students performed the tomahawk chop, an arm movement begun by the crowds at a Florida State Seminoles football game in the 1980s.
Lance Soto, a local indigenous leader who lives in Covington, disagreed with the report's conclusion. He told the Cincinnati Enquirer that the tomahawk chop is tied to some professional sports teams that use racist imagery like mascots to depict indigenous people.
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In the suit against the Post, Sandmann's attorneys accuse the publication of reporting a false and defamatory "gist" that Sandmann "assaulted and/or physically intimidated Phillips" and "instigated a confrontation with Phillips and subsequently engaged in racist conduct."
One Post story Sandmann's attorneys identified as defamatory toward the high school student stated: "Surrounding him (Phillips) are a throng of young, mostly white teenage boys ... with one standing about a foot from the drummer's face wearing a relentless smirk."
In an email to the Cincinnati Enquirer, Kristine Coratti Kelly, the vice president of communications for The Post, said that the company is reviewing the lawsuit.
"We plan to mount a vigorous defense," Coratti Kelly wrote.
Jeff Bezos, the founder and CEO of Amazon, bought The Washington Post for $250 million in cash in 2013 — the same amount Sandmann's attorneys are seeking in damages.
Contributing: Max Londberg, The Cincinnati Enquirer.