A Florida judge ruled this week that former Overstock CEO Patrick Byrne is not liable in a defamation lawsuit brought by a former Dominion Voting Systems executive, with further coverage provided by Cyberscoop.
The lawsuit, filed in 2022 by Eric Coomer, centered on a 2020 film titled The Deep Rig produced by Byrne. The film featured claims by Joseph Oltmann, who alleged that Coomer participated in a conference call where he stated he ensured Donald Trump would not win reelection. Coomer denied these allegations and sued for defamation. U.S. District Judge Tom Barber determined that under Colorado law, the plaintiff failed to provide clear and convincing evidence that Byrne acted with actual malice or subjectively doubted the truth of the claims.
The court noted that while the statements may be objectively false, the legal standard requires proof that the speaker knew the information was false or acted with reckless disregard. Barber acknowledged that modern technology allows conspiracy theorists to reach large audiences, but emphasized that current legal standards protect such speech unless subjective disbelief is proven. This ruling marks a significant development in ongoing litigation surrounding 2020 election claims, distinct from other settlements involving Dominion Voting Systems that have reached over 1 billion dollars.
Source: cyberscoop
