Michael Flynn's klan's (I'm sorry, his family's) lawsuit against CNN dismissed

Plaintiffs Jack and Leslie Flynn have sued Defendant Cable News Network (better known as CNN) under Rhode Island’s false-light statute. The Flynns claim $75 million in damages. The entire dispute stems from a six-minute segment and, more specifically, the segment’s use of a two- second clip in which the Flynns appear. The Flynns say the segment falsely painted them as
“QAnon followers.”

The parties agree that QAnon is “an American conspiracy movement that began in 2017.” Dkt. 212 ¶ 4. The conspiracy centers around “Q,” who is supposedly “a high-ranking government official” who “leak(s) top secret information” about the “Deep State.” Id. There have been about 5,000 of these leaks (or “Q drops”). Id. The Flynns say that “a series of outlandish beliefs … have grown out of these Q drops.” Id. ¶ 5. But just exactly what those beliefs are is unclear (and is one of the main subjects of this opinion). Before this suit was filed, Jack himself characterized QAnon as “(j)ust People doing their own research and learning independence of thought to find the truth.”

The CNN report at issue aired in February 2021. It was framed around an October 2020 event called “Q Con Live!” Dkt. 212 ¶ 86. The report opens with a series of short clips from the event, followed by the reporter’s voiceover explaining that the footage was from a “gathering of QAnon followers in Arizona just two weeks before November’s election.” Dkt. 184-1 at 0:01–0:22. The video next shows the so-called QAnon Shaman, who is wrapped in a flag that says, “WHERE WE GO ONE WE GO ALL.” Id. at 0:37–0:42. The voiceover explains, “He’s known as the QAnon Shaman, and he would go on to storm the Capitol in January.” Id. The video then cuts to someone at the event singing “where we go one, we go all.” Id. at 0:43–0:50. The voiceover then says, “‘Where we go one, we go all’: an infamous QAnon slogan an infamous QAnon slogan promoted by Trump’s first National Security Advisor, Michael Flynn.” Id. at 0:51–0:58

...

For these reasons, even assuming that the CNN report could imply that the Flynns were QAnon followers, that statement isn’t actionable. Defendant’s motion for summary judgment is GRANTED. The motions to exclude and strike are DENIED as moot because granting any of those motions would not change the outcome of this one. The Clerk of Court is directed to close Dkts. 178, 185, 187, and 222, enter judgment for Defendant, and close this case.

https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.556958/gov.uscourts.nysd.556958.226.0.pdf

"The Flynn family is just a bunch of QAnon followers" Court approved statement.