Paramount, the parent company of CBS News, has filed a pair of motions in district court to dismiss President Trump's $20 billion lawsuit stemming from a “60-minute” interview with former Vice President Harris just before the 2024 presidential election.
Both filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas on Thursday, one of two claims said the president's case was “a First Amendment humiliation and is based on law or fact.”
The Paramount legal team wrote that Trump “seeks press to punish news organizations for constitutionally protected editorial decisions.
“They are not only seeking $2 billion in damages, but also ordering to tell them how news organizations will exercise future editorial decisions,” they said. I said. “The First Amendment stands firm on these demands.”
The lawsuit filed by Trump in late October last year denounced the “60-minute” program for miscompiling an interview with Harris, depicting the former White House candidate in a more favorable view.
By compiling an interview with Harris on October 7, Trump said CBS News engaged in “an illegal conduct of elections and voter interference and voter interference.” Critics pointed to the answers former President Wies gave to Israel's war in Gaza. online.
The president initially sought $10 billion in damages, but the lawsuit was revised in February, and prices now doubled to $20 billion.
On the other motionParamount argued that the editorial judgment of “60 minutes” was “a non-commercial speech outside the scope of both the Lanham Act and the Texas deceptive trade practices law.” The studio's legal team also said the court “has no jurisdiction over the subject.”
The claim was filed later It has been reported Paramount discussed the possibility of a lawsuit being resolved, and thought it would be more likely to greenlight Paramount's merger with Skydance.
Apart from the lawsuit, CBS News is facing an investigation by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) led by Chairman Brendan Kerr. The survey was held in the same interview. A few days ago, CBS News released the full transcript for a “60 Minutes” interview with Harris.
“When we do these edits, 60 minutes is always led to the truth and what we believe is most beneficial to the public.
Trump's legal team still remains in the view that “60 minutes” committed “election intervention.”
“President Trump is committed to keeping people who travel and lying to lie,” said Ed Palzik, the president's lawyer. statement To axios.
“CBS and Paramount committed the worst kind of election interference and fraud on the last day of the most important presidential elections in history. President Trump will pursue this important issue to a legitimate and legitimate conclusion,” added Palzik.
