All posts tagged: defamation lawsuit

Kash Patel defamation lawsuit against Figliuzzi dismissed

Kash Patel defamation lawsuit against Figliuzzi dismissed

Published by Sam Flores

Kash Patel, director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), during a House Intelligence Committee hearing on worldwide threats in Washington, DC, US, on Thursday, March 19, 2026. Daniel Heuer | Bloomberg | Getty Images A Houston federal court judge on Tuesday dismissed a lawsuit by FBI Director Kash Patel alleging that former FBI official Frank Figliuzzi defamed him by saying Patel last year had “been visible at nightclubs far more than he has been on the seventh floor of” the bureau’s headquarters in Washington, D.C. “The Court finds that Figliuzzi’s statement is rhetorical hyperbole that cannot constitute defamation,” U.S. District Court Judge George Hanks Jr. wrote in his decision. “Accordingly, Dir. Patel has failed to state a claim against Figliuzzi, and his lawsuit must be dismissed.” The dismissal came a day after Patel filed an unrelated $250 million defamation lawsuit in D.C. federal court against The Atlantic magazine over a new article that alleged he has abused alcohol. While ruling on the key question of defamation in Figliuzzi’s favor, the judge denied his request …

Judge orders musician to halt ‘defamatory statements’ about COGIC

Judge orders musician to halt ‘defamatory statements’ about COGIC

Published by Sam Flores

(RNS) — A federal judge has issued a preliminary injunction to halt what Church of God in Christ officials call defamatory statements by a gospel musician about their predominantly Black Pentecostal denomination. The order, issued on Monday (Feb. 2) by Judge Mark Norris of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee, seeks to prevent musician Moses Tyson Jr. from “publishing, broadcasting, or disseminating any further defamatory statements” about the denomination, “including, but not limited to, any references to ‘thieves,’ ‘grand theft,’ ‘elder abuse,’ ‘fraud,’ or other similar accusations,” according to court records.  In a complaint filed Nov. 10 in a county court, COGIC, its general board and its general counsel alleged that Tyson has led a “malicious, nationwide campaign of libel and slander” against the denomination and its leaders. In recent months, court exhibits show, Tyson — who is a member of the denomination and is a cousin of the late musician Sly Stone — made accusations against the church in emails, podcasts and social media. The case was later moved to …