In addition to three counts of defamation, the suit lists one count of “civil trespass” because Williamson and Rendleman ignored multiple “no trespassing” signs indicating only “students, staff, employees, and business invitees of Liberty” were allowed on campus.
Speaking about the defamation lawsuit on Hannity, Falwell said, “Not only are they a bigoted bunch of liars, and also [a] BuzzFeed type click bait publication now, but they’re also stupid, because they came on campus. We had 25, at least, ‘No Trespassing’ signs everywhere, and they were dumb enough to take pictures of the signs and publish them. So we got warrants out for their arrest and they had to cut a deal with a local prosecutor to keep from going to jail.”
Liberty alleges that media outlets (listed in the complaint) that have reported the Times’ false information have caused “enormous harm to Liberty’s business and reputation” and have cost the university “substantial monies and resources.” Nevertheless, Falwell has said that if Liberty wins the defamation lawsuit, he will donate the money to people who find themselves in need because of the pandemic.
In a statement reported by WJLA News, New York Times spokeswoman Eileen Murphy said, “We are confident that our story accurately portrayed the reopening of Liberty University and the public health concerns that the reopening raised. We look forward to defending our work in court.”
WJLA reporter Ahtra Elnashar observed that the Times has already had a “tumultuous summer.” Editorial page editor James Bennet resigned in early June following backlash to an opinion piece in which Senator Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) advocated using military force against rioters. More recently, lead opinion columnist Bari Weiss also resigned and published a scathing letter citing “constant bullying by colleagues who disagree with my views,” “unlawful discrimination,” and a “hostile work environment.”
