Legal Commentary

Pity Poor Palin ... The 'Victim' Threatens to Sue

By TChris

When a public figure like Sarah Palin drops a bombshell resignation on the public without providing a reasonable contemporaneous explanation, the public figure should anticipate that public reactions will include speculation about the reason for her decision. Given the questions Wayne Barrett raised last year about the relationship between materials used to build Palin's house and materials used on state projects by contractors who received lucrative state contracts, it isn't surprising that some people wondered whether Palin's resignation was related to a criminal investigation.

Jeralyn pointed out a significant flaw in that theory: the expiration of the statute of limitations probably precluded prosecution, even if wrongdoing occurred. As Jeralyn noted yesterday, the FBI put an end to the speculation by announcing that Palin is not under investigation. And as Jeralyn reported in an update to that post, despite inviting speculation by making a sudden and unexplained announcement, Palin is threatening legal action against the speculators. How bizarre is that? [more ...]

Palin's attorney singled out an Alaskan blogger because "she went on national television and talked about it," but he also threatened legal action against "those who re-publish this defamation, such as Huffington Post, MSNBC, the New York Times and the Washington Post." Never mind that the Times and the Post didn't report the rumors. Is it defamatory to falsely accuse newspapers of defamation?

As the linked story from the Anchorage Daily News points out, Palin would need to prove actual malice to win a defamation suit, and that standard is one she can't conceivably meet. Wonkette's amusing take on Palin's empty threats to sue newspapers and the internets comes to the appropriate conclusion:

Sarah Palin, a snowbilly grifter who spent her entire adult life desperately trying to become a Public Figure, apparently wants her attorneys to stupidly and pointlessly threaten American practitioners of free speech regarding our public figures and elected officials.

Palin is painting herself as a victim, but she has only herself to blame for speculation about her motive for resigning. Yesterday, Palin invited further speculation by claiming she quit to pursue "a higher calling." What that might be remains a mystery. Would anyone care to speculate?

Full post as published by TalkLeft on July 05, 2009 (boomark / email).