Defamation

Riniki Bhuyan Sarma, the wife of Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, has filed a ₹100 crore defamation suit against Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who had alleged malpractice in giving contracts for PPE at above market rates. Ms. Bhuyan Sarma filed the suit at the court of Civil Judge No.1 of Kamrup Metropolitan district on June 21 and it is likely to come up for hearing on June 22, her counsel Padmadhar Nayak said. Another advocate Kishor Kumar Dutta told PTI that Mr. Sisodia while addressing a press meet on June 4 in New Delhi had made "some allegations that damaged the reputation and position" of Riniki Bhuyan Sarma. "Sisodia unnecessarily dragged the name of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma also into the controversy. That is why we have claimed that damage," he added. Mr. Sisodia, referring to media reports had told newsmen that while the Assam government procured personal protective equipment kits for ₹600 each from other companies, Mr. Sarma gave … [Read more...] about Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma’s wife files ₹100 crore defamation suit against Manish Sisodia

The Assam unit of the Congress on June 24 staged demonstrations near a luxury hotel where rebel Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde and other Maharashtra MLAs accompanying him are staying demanding that they leave the State as it is reeling under a devastating flood. Assam Congress chief Bhupen Bora also wrote a letter to Mr. Shind e telling him that their presence at such a critical juncture has "defamed" the State. Congress leaders were not allowed to enter the hotel and a police official deployed there was requested to hand over the letter to the Sena leader. Also Read Eknath Shinde: A grassroot Sena worker who rebelled Slogan-shouting party workers demonstrated near the hotel for some time. The Shiv Sena-led coalition government in Maharashtra , of which the Congress is a part, is facing a crisis following the dissidence of a section of its MLAs led by Mr. Shinde. Assam is a land where people give a lot of respect to ethics and values but "your presence … [Read more...] about Assam Congress chief asks Eknath Shinde to leave, says ‘your presence defaming flood-hit State’

The Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard verdict was roped into the notorious murder of Gabby Petito during a court hearing on Wednesday in Florida. Judge Hunter W. Carroll, who will decide whether a lawsuit against killer Brian Laundrie's family will move forward, invoked Depp's defamation verdict while looking at a statement from Laundrie's parents. The murder of 22-year-old Petito by fiancé Laundrie whipped up a media firestorm last year. Her parents have filed a lawsuit against Laundrie's parents, alleging that they knew their son killed Petito and attempted to help him flee the country. In the lawsuit, Joseph Petito and Nicole Schmidt claimed Laundrie told his parents, Christopher and Roberta Laundrie, that he had killed his fiancée about a day after the murder. The Laundrie family "went on vacation knowing that Brian Laundrie had murdered Gabrielle Petito," the complaint alleged. "It is believed they knew where her body was located, and further knew that Gabrielle Petito's … [Read more...] about Judge cites Johnny Depp in court feud over Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie

As the judge in the defamation trial between Amber Heard and Johnny Depp finalized the verdict in the case on Friday, it became clear that Amber Heard may need to pay a large amount of money should she appeal. After the weeks-long, high-profile trial, in which Depp sued his ex-wife, Heard, for $50 million for defamation following an op-ed she wrote in 2018, the seven-person civil jury reached a verdict on June 1 largely in Depp's favor , awarding him $15 million in damages—$10 million in compensatory damages with the other $5 million for punitive damages. Judge Penney Azcarate later lowered the punitive award to $350,000 per Virginia's legal maximum. In total, after figuring the $2 million awarded Heard for her her counter-suit for nuisance, Depp's award came to $8.35 million, which Heard's lawyer, Elaine Bredehoft, has publicly stated the Aquaman actress cannot afford . On top of that, the upfront cost of an appeal for Heard would be equal to that judgment, plus … [Read more...] about Amber Heard needs mega payment to appeal Johnny Depp decision: Judge

Joe Rogan believes everyone wants to see Johnny Depp date Camille Vasquez, the attorney who helped him to success in his recent defamation trial. Vasquez was the surprise breakout star of the court case, becoming a trending topic online during it with numerous admirers commenting on her abilities during the court case. As a result of her friendship with Depp during the trial, a number of dating rumors emerged and Vasquez has even been forced to address the topic on a number of occasions. Comedian and podcaster Rogan once again weighed in on the subject of Depp vs. Amber Heard with his guests Ari Shaffir, Shane Gillis and Mark Normand. Not for the first time, he commented unfavorably on Heard but also discussed his admiration for Vasquez. Comedian Normand admitted to having a crush on Vasquez and Rogan added, "She's very hot." He continued: "Being hot and natural, and really smart. Really smart and not taking any bull s****. And, we all want her to fall in love with Johnny … [Read more...] about Joe Rogan thinks “we all want” Camille Vasquez and Johnny Depp to date

During her tell-all Dateline NBC interview with Savannah Guthrie, Amber Heard stood firmly by her testimony, presented a binder of allegations against ex-husband Johnny Depp and shared that she still loves the Pirates Of The Caribbean actor. The Friday (June 17) interview, however, was far from a ratings bonanza for NBC despite Heard's post-trial reflections and revelations. The one-on-one conversation between Guthrie and the embattled Aquaman actor delivered a 0.3 rating in the key demographic of viewers ages 18-49 and 2.3 million viewers, per Nielsen. Heard's appearance struggled to elevate Dateline past its normal ratings and brought in the show's second-smallest audience since November, according to TVLine . Leading up to the special, NBC teased numerous buzzy snippets of the Q&A. But come Friday, the episode couldn't quite live up to the hype, even falling behind a repeat episode of ABC's 20/20 , which garnered 2.6 million viewers. Ratings-wise, the … [Read more...] about Amber Heard’s ‘Dateline’ interview about Johnny Depp trial sinks in TV ratings

WASHINGTON — The House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol made a wide-ranging case on Monday that former President Donald J. Trump created and relentlessly spread the lie that the 2020 election had been stolen from him in the face of mounting evidence from an expanding chorus of advisers that he had been legitimately defeated. The committee, in its second hearing this month, traced the origins and progression of what it has described as Mr. Trump’s “big lie.” It showed through live witness testimony and recorded depositions how the former president, defying many of his advisers, insisted on declaring victory on election night before the votes were fully counted, then sought to challenge his defeat with increasingly outlandish and baseless claims that he was repeatedly informed were wrong. “He’s become detached from reality if he really believes this stuff,” William P. Barr, the former attorney general, said of Mr. Trump during a videotaped interview the … [Read more...] about Jan. 6 Panel Tracks How Trump Created and Spread Election Lies

Johnny Depp's attorney, Camille Vasquez , became emotional in a taped interview as she recounted seeing her client smile again following the verdict in his defamation trial against ex-wife Amber Heard . Vasquez was the surprise breakout star during the six-week court battle, which centered upon Depp's $50 million lawsuit against Heard over a 2018 op-ed for The Washington Post , in which she said she was a domestic abuse survivor. Following a high-profile trial, the jury on June 1 awarded Depp $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages, after finding Heard's claim to be false and defamatory. Heard, who had countersued for $100 million, was awarded $2 million after it was found that Depp's former attorney, Adam Waldman , had made defamatory comments about her. Depp was not present when the verdict was handed down, as he had embarked on a European tour with Jeff Beck days beforehand—but Vasquez has revealed that they still ensured they were … [Read more...] about Camille Vasquez fights tears in video recounting Depp’s post-verdict smile

In a virtual press conference Thursday attended by fewer than 30 people—including the PR consultants hosting the event—former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani compared his son, who is hoping to be elected New York’s GOP candidate for governor next week, to Donald Trump, Teddy Roosevelt, Ronald Reagan, and…himself. Giuliani, who appeared to encounter brief technical issues when logging onto the sparsely populated Zoom meeting, described Andrew , 36, as “tough as nails,” boasting that his boy had been endorsed by Trump cronies and convicted felon Mike Flynn and Steve Bannon, who was charged with felony fraud in 2021 but pardoned by Trump hours before the ex-president left office. However, Giuliani also said that Trump’s endorsement could potentially be detrimental to Andrew’s already slim chances, claiming that Trump has withheld his blessing out of his own benevolence. In rambling remarks that focused primarily on his own accomplishments running New York City, Giuliani took a … [Read more...] about Giuliani Sounds Like He’s Ready to Put His Kid on Mount Rushmore

Dear Trolls, George Bernard Shaw once advised us: “Never wrestle with a pig. You will get dirty. And the pig loves it” This often comes to the mind of most tweeple whenever they are hounded by trolls like you. Your guerilla style cyber warfare and sniper attacks, one realises, stem from Dutch courage. Just like fungus needs moisture, you need anonymity to survive. Most of you wear your cowardice on your handles with weird user names like crooks, scarecrows, vampires, devils and so on. You follow and attack a large number of public figures. You have just a handful of followers, probably fake. And your arsenal comprises the choicest invectives, most of them unprintable and vocabulary as sparse as your followers. Now that your generic introduction is complete, let me make a ‘doomed to fail’ attempt to open your eyes. A psychologist friend recently told me about a disturbing spurt in the incidence of depression and suicidal tendencies linked to cyber bullying and trolling. Cyber Crime … [Read more...] about An open letter to trolls