Editors at National Review Online expect a big payday from global warming alarmist Michael Mann.
On Monday, National Review filed a motion in the Superior Court for the District of Columbia to recover a portion of the legal fees that Michael Mann’s frivolous lawsuits have forced us to spend over the last twelve years. We cannot recover the time and effort that Mann has wasted, but we can recover more than a million of the dollars that we have lost defending our unalienable right to free speech.
A little background. Back in 2012, Michael Mann threatened to sue National Review for defamation after Mark Steyn criticized Mann on our group-blog, the Corner. In response to this threat, National Review’s editor, Rich Lowry, wrote a post titled “Get Lost,” in which he explained that Mann’s characterization of Steyn’s criticisms as representing “criminal fraud” was incorrect, as Steyn was merely pointing out that Mann’s research was “intellectually bogus and wrong.” Angered by both the initial post and the follow-up, Mann filed a lawsuit against National Review in October of 2012, claiming that both Steyn and Lowry had not only libeled him, but were guilty of the intentional infliction of emotional distress. …
… Despite National Review having succeeded with its Special Motion to Dismiss back in 2019, we have thus far been unable to recoup the “costs of litigation” that D.C.’s Anti-SLAPP Act allows any “party who prevails, in whole or in part” to seek. Now that, at long last, the case has been decided, that has changed for the better. With this week’s move, we seek to recover $1,037,248.41 in legal costs from Mann.
When we prevail, it will mark the first time during this entire affair that there have been any consequences whatsoever for Michael Mann’s disgraceful conduct. As our filing notes, despite his trying for nearly twelve years, “Mann did not prevail on any claim against National Review.” Nevertheless, “he undoubtedly made headway towards his real goal,” which was “inflicting millions of dollars in legal fees” and “severely punishing National Review for daring to criticize him.”