Full title: ALICIA WATKINS, Plaintiff, v. CABLE NEWS NETWORK, INC., et al., Defendants.
Court: UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF MARYLAND Southern Division
Date published: Apr 25, 2018
Facts
Self-represented Plaintiff Alicia Watkins brings this defamation and false light claim against Defendants Cable News Network, Inc. (“CNN”) and Dylan Byers, a CNN reporter, based on a series of publications on the social media website Twitter (commonly referred to as “tweets”) and an article that CNN and Byers published about Watkins in March 2016. ECF No. 16 at 1. As explained in further detail below, Watkins had appeared at a press conference for then-presidential candidate Donald Trump, and several news organizations ran articles regarding Watkins’s background. In her amended complaint, Watkins alleges that defendants are liable under causes of action for false light and defamation. Id. at 8–9. Watkins seeks compensatory damages of at least $2,000,000, and punitive damages of at least $5,000,000. Id. at 14. Now pending before the Court is the defendant’s motion to dismiss the amended complaint. ECF No. 18. No hearing is necessary. See Loc. R. 105.6 (D. Md. 2016). For the following reasons, the defendant’s motion to dismiss is granted
Issue
Decision
For the foregoing reasons, the defendants’ motion to dismiss, ECF No. 18, is granted. A separate order will be issued. Date: April 25, 2018
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