A West Virginia judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by Murray Energy against HBO and Last Week Tonight host John Oliver, according to Lawful Masses, a legal website and livestream series hosted by copyright attorney Leonard French.
Oliver revealed in the episode that when the show attempted to contact Murray Energy, it received a cease and desist from the company’s legal team.
Murray Energy has a history of threatening litigation against media outlets and journalists who are critical of their practices or employees.
The original filing was littered with hyperbolic speech and attempts to garner sympathy that hardly amounted to legal claims.
The defendants’ attorneys filed a First Amendment-based motion to dismiss, which a West Virginia judge upheld, ruling that the case should be dismissed with prejudice, which keeps the plaintiffs from filing the charges against Oliver and HBO again.
Yes, Oliver, HBO and their attorneys will be writing the judge’s statement based on findings and facts that support the court’s rulings.
Check out “your favorite copyright attorney” break down the case’s dismissal here and revisit Oliver’s expose on Murray and the coal industry below. »