Joseph Arthur has brought a $25 million defamation case against theLos Angeles Times,He claimed the newspaper incorrectly called him an anti-vaxxer in an article written about him by the 2021 edition.
Arthur, who’d questioned the safety of the Covid-19 vaccine and on his social media accounts likened vaccination requirements for entry into certain spaces to segregation, alleged in the suit that the LA TimesArticle “was instantly understood to convey a defamatory meaning, including that Arthur is an anti-vaxxer, spreading disinformation.”
The suit, filed on Wednesday in the U.S. District Court’s Western District of Virginia, further alleges, “LA Times deliberately excluded and misrepresented Arthur’s position and falsely portrayed him as a radical anti-vaxxer, who spread disinformation and otherwise engaged in extreme behavior.”
In the suit, Arthur said he wasn’t anti-vaccines and further claimed that he told the newspaper prior to publication. Arthur and a third party had a text exchange. Timesreporter following the story’s publication on August 10, 2021 in which Arthur wrote that he is “not an anti vaxxer. I’m anti this experimental shot with no long term tests that is harming many and completely ineffective against the spread of the virus.”(The Centers For Disease Control and Prevention has published numerous data setsThe effectiveness and safety of vaccines.
The suit alleged that the newspaper included a photo of Arthur holding his baby daughter to”imply that Arthur was endangering his child, his family, indeed all of society. This is an unconscionable misrepresentation,” the suit said.
In the suit, it was also alleged that Times incorrectly stated that Arthur spread false statements about dangerous drugs or “debunked vaccine conspiracy theor[ies]. He has not made fraudulent statements about the COVID-19 vaccines on his Instagram, YouTube and Facebook accounts,”The suit was said.
At the time of this article’s publication, Instagram’s fact-checking feature labeled at least three posts on Arthur’s page published two months before the LA Timesarticle as false. These statements include disproven claims that Anthony Fauci acknowledged via emails. Hydroxychloroquine worked against Covid, and a reposted video featuring controversial figure Dr. Peter McCullough, who has shared multiple false claims about the pandemic and the efficacy of the vaccine.
Joseph and his lawyer did not respond to requests for comment. Rep for the LA TimesDue to pending litigation, the spokesperson declined to comment.
“The Article impugned Arthur’s professional integrity and exposed him to hatred, contempt, ridicule, or obloquy as someone who was against all vaccines,”The lawsuit stated. “Publication caused him to be shunned and avoided. The Article severely injured Arthur in his occupation as a musician, leading directly to the cancelation of multiple gigs.”
In addition to defamation there is also a count of false invasions of privacy.
Seamus Hughes also reports