Former Trump Advisor’s Libel Lawsuit Against Retired Mixed Martial Arts Fighter Can Go Forward
From Judge Jessica Clarke’s opinion Monday in Delgado v. Sonnen (S.D.N.Y.):
Plaintiff Arlene Delgado is a lawyer and former senior advisor to Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. Plaintiff filed this action on March 1, 2024 alleging that Defendant Chael Sonnen, a retired mixed martial arts fighter who previously competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (“UFC”), defamed her while he was a guest on a podcast called Flagrant…. Plaintiff alleges that during Flagrant‘s March 7, 2023 podcast episode, Defendant Sonnen made false and defamatory remarks regarding Plaintiff’s educational background and employment, and falsely claimed she “stalked” Sonnen such that she was banned from UFC venues. Below are Sonnen’s statements in full context:
A President of the United States, in their absolute inner circle, had a phony, and I knew the phony. And I knew the phony because the phony had come after me and it got all the way to the chief legal officer of the Ultimate Fighting Championship that had to put a notice at every venue that we went to, to ban this person who was stalking me, and that person was on the inner circle of a President [elect] of the United States. So I have to reach to the president, of which I don’t know, to let them know that this human being is not who they’re claiming they are, and they’re getting ready to set you up. Not to mention, you’re going to look like a fool when it comes out that this person is not named, does not have the title, and did not go to the school that you’re running around Hannity and Colmes and telling them that they are. And I did. I got it to the president who removed this person ….
Delgado sued, and the court concluded that some of her claims could survive defendants’ motion to dismiss:
First, Sonnen repeats his argument that the nature and tone of the Flagrant podcast makes clear that reasonable listeners would not have taken his statements to be factual. In particular, he reiterates that the tone of the
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