Defamation

Case: Vericker v. Powell, 406 So. 3d 939 (Fla. 2025) Kevin Vericker, a blogger, criticized attorney Norman Powell after Powell was appointed to represent North Bay Village, questioning his qualifications and integrity. Powell sued for defamation, claiming the posts were defamatory per se. Vericker responded with a motion for summary judgment based on Florida’s Anti-SLAPP…

Case: Black v. CNN, Inc., No. 4D2023-1257 (Fla. 4th DCA Sept. 10, 2025) In 2015, CNN ran a series of articles and broadcasts alleging that St. Mary’s Hospital’s pediatric heart surgery program—led by Dr. Michael Black—had a “secret” mortality rate more than three times the national average. Reporters calculated a 12.5% death rate for infant…

Case: Young v. CNN, Inc., No. 22000608CA (Fla. 14th Cir. Ct. filed June 15, 2022) In 2021, CNN aired a story on The Lead with Jake Tapper that portrayed Zachary Young, a U.S. Navy veteran and private security contractor, as exploiting Afghans trying to flee the country after the U.S. military withdrawal. The segment used…