Deadspin, a well-known sports website, has recently faced a setback in its legal battle as a Delaware judge has ruled against its bid to dismiss a defamation lawsuit. The lawsuit stems from an article published by Deadspin, which accused a 9-year-old NFL fan and his family of racism based on the young boy’s game-day attire.
The defamation suit was filed by Raul Armenta Jr. and his wife, Shannon, on behalf of themselves and their son, Holden, who attended a game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Las Vegas Raiders last November. The lawsuit alleges that Deadspin’s article falsely accused Holden, a Chiefs fan who also embraces his family’s Chumash-Indian heritage, of being racist.
Holden wore a Chiefs jersey to the game, with his face painted half-red and half-black, and donned a costume Native American headdress. Despite his innocent display of fandom, Deadspin’s article, penned by Carron Phillips, used a misleading screenshot to accuse the boy of racism. The article’s headline and content insinuated that Holden harboured racist sentiments towards black people and Native Americans, alleging that he had been taught “hatred” by his parents.
Following the publication of the article, Holden and his family were subjected to hateful messages and death threats. Despite the Armentas’ repeated requests for Deadspin to retract the defamatory article and issue an apology, the website initially only made minimal edits before eventually updating the article’s content.
The legal battle escalated as the Armentas decided to take Deadspin to court for defamation. In response to Deadspin’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit, Superior Court Judge Sean Lugg ruled that the accusations made in the article were provably false assertions of fact and therefore actionable under defamation laws. The judge also rejected Deadspin’s argument to dismiss the lawsuit based on jurisdictional grounds.
The Armentas’ attorney expressed their eagerness to present the case to a jury at trial, highlighting Deadspin’s lack of remorse for using a 9-year-old boy in such a manner. The legal battle between the Armentas and Deadspin serves as a cautionary tale about the power and responsibility of media outlets in portraying individuals fairly and accurately.