Latest news with #slander
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Former interim NYPD commissioner Donlon files $10M notice he'll sue Mayor Adams for defamation
Former NYPD Interim Commissioner Thomas Donlon filed a $10 million notice of intent to sue the city Monday, alleging Mayor Adams and former NYPD spokesman Tarik Sheppard slandered him when they claimed without providing evidence Donlon was removed from the post because he was 'mentally not fit,' a copy of the claim shows. Donlon, 71, filed a 251-page lawsuit in federal court in Manhattan Wednesday charging that Adams and top loyalists in the NYPD were running a 'criminal enterprise.' The following day, Sheppard, who Donlon had accused of promoting himself to three-star chief and threatening to 'kill' him at the 2024 NYC Marathon, said Donlon was suffered from 'some cognitive issues.' Sheppard also claimed the FBI seized Donlon's phones at one point. Adams the following day claimed the former career FBI agent was 'mentally not fit' and told a group of business leaders he dismissed him for refusing a mental health evaluation. 'This wasn't spin. It was a deliberate and defamatory attack — weaponizing mental health to silence a whistleblower and deflect from the criminal misconduct Donlon exposed,' said Donlon's lawyer John Scola. 'The facts speak for themselves: Donlon's phones were never seized. No mental health evaluation was ever requested. And immediately after removing him as Commissioner, Adams appointed Donlon as Senior Advisor for Public Safety—a role that directly contradicts City Hall's new narrative.' Litigants are required to file a notice of claim with the city Comptroller's office before filing a lawsuit. The claim alleges Adams and Sheppard 'knowingly made false, malicious and reputationally damaging public statements.' Donlon was appointed interim police commissioner Sept. 13 after Edward Caban's phones were seized and he was forced to resign in the midst of the then-mushrooming federal investigation into corruption in the Adams administration. Donlon presided as police commissioner for two months amid a period in which he claims in the lawsuit he was constantly undermined by Sheppard, then Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey, the current Chief of Department John Chell and current Deputy Mayor Kaz Daughtry. Adams selected former Sanitation Commissioner Jessica Tisch as police commissioner Nov. 20 and gave Donlon a post at City Hall where he worked on obtaining law enforcement grants from federal and state agencies. 'There is no documentation, medical or otherwise, suggesting Mr. Donlon was impaired or was asked to seek treatment,' the notice of claim alleges. 'No such concerns were raised until after he filed suit against the Mayor and his inner circle.' In late April, as The News previously reported, Donlon was contacted by a City Hall human resources official and told his position was being eliminated. He departed city government in early May. On Thursday, Donlon gave an hour-long interview to The News covering his tenure in detail. 'He's just grasping at straws, it's pathetic,' Donlon said of Sheppard's comments, 'Of course he's defaming me. 'Just about every day I was police commissioner, I was out in the community. Weekends. I never took a day off,' he added. 'So, no, I wasn't isolated. And no, the FBI never took my phones.' Reps for Adams and the NYPD did not immediately reply to requests for comment. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Alya Iman lodges report over homewrecker accusation
21 Jul – Alya Iman recently revealed that she has lodged a report to the authorities over allegations that she is the third party in the rumoured marital woe between celebrity couple Yusof Bahrin and Zizi Kirana. The actress, who starred with Yusof in the recently-concluded rom-com series, "Si Bakhil dengan Bunganya", released an official statement on social media, saying that she has been a target of slander by netizens who labelled her as a homewrecker without any evidence. "All of the allegations have tainted my good name, and it has caused me much stress and ruin my reputation. My career has also been affected by the public backlash. All of the insults thrown at me on social media was done without any proof," she said. Alya said that her decision to go to the authorities was to ensure that justice will be served and as a lesson to individuals to be responsible for information disseminated on social media. "I know I am not a perfect person. But whatever happened in the past, let it stay in the past," she added. It was last week that rumours were rife that Yusof and wife Zizi are having marital trouble, after netizens noticed that they no longer follow each other on social media. (Photo Source: Alya IG, Zizi Kirana IG)
The Guardian
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Trump news at a glance: Trump sues Murdoch and WSJ for libel and slander over Epstein claims
Donald Trump on Friday sued Rupert Murdoch and two Wall Street Journal reporters for libel and slander over claims that he sent sex offender Jeffrey Epstein a bawdy note and sketch of a naked woman. The lawsuit came just before the US justice department asked a New York court to unseal grand jury testimony transcripts from the federal sex-trafficking investigation into Epstein. In the motion, the US attorney general, Pam Bondi, and her deputy, Todd Blanche, a former personal lawyer to Trump, write that the case is 'a matter of public concern'. The filing also asks to redact 'victim-related and other personal identifying information'. Here is more on these and other key US politics stories of the day: Donald Trump has sued Rupert Murdoch and two Wall Street Journal newspaper reporters for libel and slander over claims that he sent sex offender Jeffrey Epstein a bawdy note and sketch of a naked woman. Trump's lawsuit, which also targets Dow Jones and News Corp, was filed in the southern district of the Florida federal court in Miami. Read the full story To Donald Trump, Jeffrey Epstein was a 'terrific guy'. Epstein believed himself to be Trump's 'closest friend'. The relationship would eventually break down, and after Epstein was convicted of child sex offences in 2008, Trump distanced himself from the financier. But during the 15 years that the men were friends, there were plenty of incidents that displayed their closeness. That past friendship with Epstein, the 'terrific guy' turned 'creep', could now prove to be the president's undoing. Read the full story Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, has called for Barack Obama and former senior US national security officials to be prosecuted after accusing them of a 'treasonous conspiracy' intended to show that Donald Trump's 2016 presidential election win was due to Russian interference. Read the full story The Trump administration has decided to destroy $9.7m worth of contraceptives rather than send them abroad to women in need. A state department spokesperson confirmed that the decision had been made – a move that will cost US taxpayers $167,000. Read the full story Democrats are condemning CBS for its decision to cancel The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, noting the news comes a few days after its host criticized the network's parent company, Paramount, for settling a $16m lawsuit with Donald Trump. Senator Adam Schiff, a California Democrat who appeared as a guest on Colbert's show on Thursday night, later wrote on social media: 'If Paramount and CBS ended the Late Show for political reasons, the public deserves to know. And deserves better.' Read the full story Donald Trump has given a New York prosecutor a new job title to keep him in power after federal judges rejected his appointment. Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday creating a new classification of federal employees who would be subject to hiring and firing by the president. Schedule G, for employees working on policy, is the latest action by his administration to reshape the federal workforce. Tim Walz has said Donald Trump 'brings out the worst in people, and he brings out the worst in me'. Minnesota's governor said this in a new interview in which he struck an apologetic tone over a recent plea for his fellow Democrats to 'bully the shit out of' the Republican president. Donald Trump has renewed his attacks on Jerome Powell, calling the US central bank chair a 'numbskull' and accusing him of 'making it difficult for people, especially the young, to buy a house'. Venezuela released 10 jailed Americans on Friday in exchange for getting home scores of migrants deported by the United States to El Salvador months ago under the Trump administration's immigration crackdown. Catching up? Here's what happened on 17 July 2025
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump sues WSJ, Rupert Murdoch and two reporters for Epstein letter story
Donald Trump is seeking $10 billion in damages in a lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal, its parent company, owner and two reporters claiming libel and slander for publishing an article saying the future president wrote a lewd letter to Jeffrey Epstein for his 50th birthday. Trump filed the lawsuit in Miami federal court on July 18 and named as the plaintiffs Dow Jones & Company, News Corporation, owner Rupert Murdoch and reporters Khadeeja Safdar and Joseph Palazzolo. At issue is a story published July 17 describing a letter from Trump that the Journal wrote was part of a leather-bound birthday book with dozens of other letters that was presented to Epstein in 2003. Trump's letter ends with 'Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret,' according to the Journal. According to the Journal, Trump's signature on the letter, which was written in the form of text inside a hand-drawn outline of a nude woman, is "a squiggly 'Donald' below her waist, mimicking pubic hair." Soon after the publication of the article, Trump called the letter a "FAKE" in a social media post and said the story is "false, malicious, and defamatory." In his lawsuit, Trump said the reporters "falsely claimed" that he had written a "salacious" letter to Epstein containing a "hand-drawn naked woman." "Worse, Defendants Safdar and Palazzolo falsely represent as fact that President Trump drew the naked woman's breasts and signed his name 'Donald' below her waist, 'mimicking pubic hair," the lawsuit says. The lawsuit also mentions the Journal's wide reach and states the article went "viral." The paper "amplified the engagement" of the article by republishing it on its X account to more than 20 million followers, the lawsuit said. "To further exacerbate this already caustic situation, The Wall Street Journal also placed the Article on the front page of its July 18, 2025, newspaper," Trump's lawsuit said. A Dow Jones spokesperson said July 18 that the Wall Street Journal stands by its story. "We have full confidence in the rigor and accuracy of our reporting, and will vigorously defend against any lawsuit," the spokesperson said. In another social media post after the Journal story's publication, Trump also announced that he was directing Attorney General Pam Bondi to produce more Epstein documents amid public clamor for the records. Federal prosecutors followed up with a motion filed July 18 in federal court in Manhattan seeking to unseal grand jury transcripts in the criminal cases against Epstein and his former associate Ghislaine Maxwell. Last week, Trump lashed out at a reporter for asking questions about Epstein a day after the Justice Department and the FBI released a memo declaring the disgraced financier died by suicide in 2019 and also that investigators had found no evidence Epstein kept a "client list." "Are you still talking about Jeffrey Epstein? This guy's been talked about for years,' Trump asked the reporter. 'Are people still talking about this guy, this creep? That is unbelievable. Do you want to waste the time?' Trump's association with Epstein , whom he knew socially, has dogged him since his first term in office. In 2019, Trump said he'd had a 'falling out' with Epstein, whom he described as a 'Palm Beach fixture,' in the mid-2000s. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump sues WSJ and owner Rupert Murdoch over Epstein story
The Guardian
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Trump sues Wall Street Journal and Rupert Murdoch over Epstein report
Donald Trump has sued Rupert Murdoch and two Wall Street Journal newspaper reporters for libel and slander over claims that he sent the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein a lewd letter and sketch of a naked woman. Trump's lawsuit on Friday, which also targets Dow Jones and News Corp, was filed in the southern district of Florida federal court in Miami. The lawsuit seeks at least $10bn in damages. It came after the Journal reported on a 50th birthday greeting that Trump allegedly sent to Epstein in 2003 that included a sexually suggestive drawing and reference to secrets they shared. It was reportedly a contribution to a birthday album compiled by Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year sentence in Florida after being found guilty of sex-trafficking and other charges in 2021. 'A pair of small arcs denotes the woman's breasts, and the future president's signature is a squiggly 'Donald' below her waist, mimicking pubic hair,' the Journal reported of the alleged drawing. The letter allegedly concluded: 'Happy Birthday – and may every day be another wonderful secret.' Trump vehemently denied the Journal report and claimed the letter was fake. He said on Truth Social that he warned Murdoch, the founder of News Corp, the newspaper's parent company, that he planned to sue. The president posted: 'Mr Murdoch stated that he would take care of it but obviously did not have the power to do so. Instead they are going with a false, malicious, defamatory story anyway. President Trump will be suing the Wall Street Journal, News Corp and Mr Murdoch shortly.' Vice-President JD Vance poured scorn on the report, tweeting on Thursday: 'Forgive my language but this story is complete and utter bullshit. The WSJ should be ashamed for publishing it. Where is this letter? Would you be shocked to learn they never showed it to us before publishing it? Does anyone honestly believe this sounds like Donald Trump?' The lawsuit is the first that Trump has filed against a media company while in office. But he launched numerous legal actions before returning to the White House, raising fears of a chilling effect on free speech. Most ended in defeat but over the past year he has won more than $30m in settlements from legal actions against ABC News and Paramount. In a post on his Truth Social site, Trump cast the lawsuit as part of his effort to punish media outlets, including ABC and CBS, which both reached multimillion-dollar settlement deals with the president after he took them to court. 'This lawsuit is filed not only on behalf of your favorite President, ME, but also in order to continue standing up for ALL Americans who will no longer tolerate the abusive wrongdoings of the Fake News Media,' he wrote. But advocates for press freedom cast doubt on the merits of the case. Professor Roy Gutterman, director of the Tully Center for Free Speech at Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York, said: 'This defamation case was filed only a day after this explosive story was published, and this speed might actually reflect that. The complaint is heavy on arguments about the story's reach and how quickly it went viral and was reposted on social media.' He added: 'Asking for $10bn for each count almost sounds comical, and is certainly not related to any plausible damages a plaintiff might have suffered if the story turns out to be false. But the plaintiff [Trump] is going to have to prove that the Wall Street Journal published this story knowing it was false, which does not seem plausible, either. 'We are talking about one of the most highly respected news outlets in the country, if not the world. The reporters and editors, and I'm sure their lawyers, had no reason to doubt the veracity of what they published.' The case also marked another chapter in the chequered relationship between Trump and Murdoch, whose Fox News network champions the president and has supplied some of his staff. The pair have shared roots in New York's tabloid culture and recently realigned. In February Trump hosted Murdoch in the Oval Office, praising him as 'legendary' and 'an amazing guy'. The president has faced an extraordinary backlash from his own supporters over his refusal to release files about Epstein. A Reuters/Ipsos poll this week found that 69% of respondents thought the federal government was hiding details about Epstein's clients, compared with 6% who disagreed and about one in four who said they unsure. The best public interest journalism relies on first-hand accounts from people in the know. If you have something to share on this subject you can contact us confidentially using the following methods. Secure Messaging in the Guardian app The Guardian app has a tool to send tips about stories. Messages are end to end encrypted and concealed within the routine activity that every Guardian mobile app performs. This prevents an observer from knowing that you are communicating with us at all, let alone what is being said. If you don't already have the Guardian app, download it (iOS/Android) and go to the menu. Select 'Secure Messaging'. SecureDrop, instant messengers, email, telephone and post See our guide at for alternative methods and the pros and cons of each. On Friday, in another effort to dampen the outrage about an alleged government cover-up, Trump ordered his attorney general, Pam Bondi, to seek the unsealing of grand jury testimony from the prosecution against the disgraced financier. In a filing in New York, Bondi cited 'extensive public interest' for the unusual request to release what is typically secret testimony. Trump said earlier his Truth Social platform that he had authorised the justice department to seek the public release of the materials, which are under seal, citing 'the ridiculous amount of publicity given to Jeffrey Epstein'. He did not say he had authorised the release of files on Epstein held by the justice department and the FBI. Epstein, a longtime friend of Trump and multiple high-profile men, was found hanging dead in a New York prison cell while awaiting trial on charges that he sexually exploited dozens of underage girls at his homes in New York and Florida. The case sparked conspiracy theories, especially among Trump's far-right voters, about an alleged international cabal of wealthy pedophiles. Epstein's death – declared a suicide – before he could face trial, accelerated the narrative. When Trump returned to power for a second term this January, his supporters clamored for revelations about Epstein's supposed list of clients. But Bondi issued an official memo this month declaring there was no such list.
