The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal from casino mogul Steve Wynn regarding the defamation protections established in the 1964 case New York Times v. Sullivan.
According to Reuters, Wynn, former CEO of Wynn Resorts, had sought to overturn the “actual malice” standard, which requires public figures to prove that defamatory statements were made with knowledge of their falsity or reckless disregard for the truth.
Wynn’s lawsuit against the Associated Press (AP) stemmed from a 2018 article that accused him of sexual assault in the 1970s.
Nevada’s top court dismissed his case, stating he did not show that the AP report was published with actual malice. Wynn’s lawyers expressed disappointment at the Supreme Court’s refusal to reconsider this precedent, arguing that it allows media outlets to publish false information without consequence.
The court has previously shied away from revisiting this standard, despite calls from justices like Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch to reassess its relevance in today’s media landscape awash with misinformation.
