Matt Taibbi Loses His Vexatious SLAPP Suit As Judge Explains What A 'Metaphor' Means - Above the Law

"The Book's title and subtitle "Owned: How Tech Billionaires on the Right Bought the Loudest Voices on the Left" falsely state that Plaintiff was "owned" and "bought" by billionaires."

"Even more ridiculously, Taibbi took to the pages of Bari Weiss and David Ellison's The Free Press to claim that he was suing a journalist for his reporting "to protect free speech.""

"But, no, vexatious SLAPP suits don't protect free speech; they do the exact opposite. Higgins wrote a thorough and sharp critique of how a bunch of people, like Taibb"

A metaphor likening Goldman Sachs to a “vampire squid” became closely associated with Matt Taibbi’s writing. Taibbi later sued author Eoin Higgins over the book Owned: How Tech Billionaires on the Right Bought the Loudest Voices on the Left. The lawsuit claimed the title and subtitle falsely stated that Taibbi was “owned” and “bought” by billionaires. Taibbi also argued that the lawsuit was meant to protect free speech, including claims made through The Free Press. The response argues that SLAPP suits do not protect free speech and instead function to suppress reporting and criticism through legal pressure.

Read at Above the Law