ACLU Defends John Oliver Against Coal Baron With Hilarious Brief

A section of the brief is titled, “Anyone Can Legally Say, ‘Eat S**t, Bob!’”
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The American Civil Liberties Union thinks a defamation lawsuit filed by a coal industry titan against comedian John Oliver is a joke.

So the organization has filed an amicus brief for Oliver that is, frankly, hilarious while making the point that free speech is still protected by the First Amendment.

A little back story: In June, coal tycoon Robert E. Murray, owner of Murray Energy Corporation, sued Oliver, HBO, Time Warner and the writers for “Last Week Tonight,” for “a meticulously planned attempt to assassinate” Murray’s character.

Oliver’s segment mainly focused on a mine collapse in Utah that killed nine people, but he did call Murray a “geriatric Dr. Evil,” and he did have a man in a squirrel costume say, “Eat Shit, Bob!”

The original suit argued that “nothing has ever stressed [Murray] more than [Oliver’s] vicious and untruthful attack,” to which the ACLU’s brief notes:

“As one media outlet asked, ‘[I]s he really saying that a late night British comedian on a premium channel has caused him more stress than the time that one of his mines collapsed and killed a group of his employees? If so ... that’s ... weird.’”

The brief also directly addresses Murray with section headings like “All of John Oliver’s Speech Was Protected by the First Amendment. You Can’t Sue People for Being Mean to You, Bob”; “Plaintiff’s Requested Injunction Is Clearly Unconstitutional. You Can’t Get a Court Order Telling the Press How to Cover Stories, Bob”; and “Anyone Can Legally Say ‘Eat Shit, Bob!’”

The ACLU also argues the “case is about Murray not liking a television program and somehow believing that is a legally actionable offense,” adding, “apparently because [Murray’s] delicate sensibilities were offended, they clutched their pearls and filed this suit.”

The brief also explains that truth is a defense in defamation lawsuits and includes this photo to defend Oliver’s claim that, yes, Murray does look like a “geriatric Dr. Evil.”

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The brief then argues that the Court should dismiss Murray’s suit.

You can read the complete brief below, followed by the original “Last Week Tonight” segment that inspired the lawsuit.

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