Sandy MalonePark Hills, KY – Attorneys for the Covington Catholic High School student who was viciously maligned based on an out-of-context video clip have announced they may be filing lawsuits against as many as 50 media outlets, celebrities, and politicians (video below).
U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts), Alyssa Milano, Kathy Griffin, Jim Carey, CNN, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Hill, National Public Radios, and the Catholic Dioceses of Covington, Baltimore, and Lexington were among dozens of recipients of preservation letters that advised them not to destroy any materials in connection with the case, FOX News reported.
On Jan. 18, a group of teenage boys from Covington Catholic High School were filmed doing school spirit chants as they waited for their bus to pick up their group at the Lincoln Memorial.
A video was posted of an elderly man beating on a drum in the midst of the group of boys, and the poster alleged that the boys had surrounded the man in a threatening manner.
Social media went wild condemning the boys, many of whom were sporting Make America Great Again baseball caps.
Eventually, Nick Sandmann outed himself as the teen in front of the group, smiling at the old man as he beat his drum and chanted.
“I never interacted with this protestor. I did not speak to him. I did not make any hand gestures or other aggressive moves. To be honest, I was startled and confused as to why he had approached me. We had already been yelled at by another group of protestors, and when the second group approached I was worried that a situation was getting out of control where adults were attempting to provoke teenagers,” Sandmann said, according to NBC News.
And more videos were released that showed the high school boys were being heckled by a group of Black Hebrew Israelites when the Native American man drummed his way into the middle of their group.
Black Hebrew Israelites are a Southern Poverty Law Center-designated black supremacist hate group who believe that they are the lost tribe of Israel and that other Jews are imposters.
Despite a hate group being present harassing children, the native man confronted the group of teens.
Many of the boys’ critics who had initially condemned Sandmann and his classmates walked back their harsh comments after seeing the full videos of what actually happened.
But a number of mainstream news media organizations and high-profile entertainers have not apologized for irreparably damaging the teen’s reputation and calling on followers to harm him.
Attorneys L. Lin Wood of Atlanta and Todd V. McMurtry of Fort Mitchell, Kentucky have signed on to represent the 16-year-old Sandmann against the entities that defamed or libeled the high school junior, the Atlanta Business Chronicle reported.
“In the coming weeks, we will be carefully reviewing all of the false accusations and threats made against Nick. We fully expect that a multitude of civil lawsuits will be filed and aggressively pursued,” Wood said in a statement posted on his website. “We recognize that justice for Nick will not be achieved quickly, but we are dedicated to achieving it for this young man regardless of time or expense.”
Wood represented the late Richard Jewell after he was initially accused of the 1996 bombing at the Atlanta Olympics, and several members of JonBenet Ramsey’s family, the Atlanta Business Chronicle reported.
The legal team released a video called “Nick Sandmann: The Truth in 15 Minutes” on Feb. 1, along with the announcement they were exploring the lawsuits, FOX News reported.
The video shows all the context that was excluded from the initial viral videos, including the group being threatened by a group of Black Hebrew Israelites before they were approached by Native American Nathan Phillips.
Despite Phillips’ allegations that the boys had surrounded him and made him feel afraid, the video clearly showed that Phillips walked into the group and up to Sandmann, and got into the teenager’s face.
The video also showed that Sandmann stood still and actually tried to quiet classmates from being loud and disrespectful as the elderly man drummed.
You can see “The Truth in 15 Minutes” here below: