The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit has denied Louis Farrakhan’s attempt to resurrect his libel lawsuit against the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), affirming an earlier decision made by a lower court. Farrakhan, the Nation of Islam leader, argued that the ADL made defamatory statements by labeling his organization as antisemitic. However, a three-judge panel found no evidence to support claims that these statements were false or made with actual malice.
In an unsigned summary order, the appellate court determined that there was no reasonable expectation that further discovery would reveal the ADL or its CEO, Jonathan Greenblatt, deliberately made statements with malicious intent. Consequently, the court denied Louis Farrakhan’s appeal, maintaining the district court’s earlier dismissal of the case last April.
This decision reflects the continuing challenges associated with libel cases involving public figures, who are required by prevailing legal standards to demonstrate not just falsehood, but also a deliberate intention to harm through malicious falsehoods. More information can be found in the original report from Bloomberg Law.