Lawyers for Covington Catholic High School student Nicholas Sandmann intend to sue the Native American activist who got the ball rolling on the agenda-driven smear campaign against their client and the rest of the Covington boys.
L. Lin Wood, an Atlanta-based attorney who specializes in aggressive defamation suits against the media, told LifeSiteNews on Friday that Nathan Phillips’ “lies and false accusations” against Sandmann and the other Covington students are “well documented” and he will be sued. He confirmed to PJ Media on Twitter Wednesday that he intends to sue Phillips.
Wood explained in a tweet last week that a sworn deposition from Phillips would “prove invaluable in obtaining justice” for his client.
While it is true that civil lawsuits are about money damages (1) for injury done & (2) to punish and deter, they also reveal the truth. The sworn deposition testimony of Nathan Phillips will prove invaluable in obtaining justice for Nick Sandmann. And it will be one of many.
— Lin Wood (@LLinWood) February 9, 2019
An independent investigation released by the Diocese of Covington on February 11 completely exonerated the Covington Catholic High School boys of wrongdoing.
Independent investigation just released by Diocese of Covington unequivocally exonerates Nick Sandmann & refutes the vicious lies by the mainstream & social media mob against this 16-year old student & his classmates.
— Lin Wood (@LLinWood) February 13, 2019
Four licensed investigators devoted 240 man-hours to the investigation, interviewing 43 students in all. They also reviewed over 50 hours of internet activity, including all the major news networks, YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. The investigators found that the statements from all of the chaperones and students were “remarkably consistent,” but found that Phillips’ public statements “contained some inconsistencies.” They said they were not able to resolve the problems because they were unable to contact him.
Investigators attempted to reach Nathan Phillips by phone and email, but never got a response. They even traveled to his home in Ypsilanti, Michigan, and waited outside his house for six hours, but he wasn’t home. They left a note and he never responded.
The Covington diocese had initially, without evidence, joined the social justice mob and condemned the teens for allegedly mocking Phillips.
Later, the bishop said that the diocese “felt bullied and pressured” into condemning the teens too quickly.
Following the investigation, bishop of Covington Roger J. Foys wrote in a statement on the Diocese of Covington website: “The immediate world-wide reaction to the initial video led almost everyone to believe that our students had initiated the incident and the perception of those few minutes of video became reality.”
In truth, taking everything into account, our students were placed in a situation that was at once bizarre and even threatening. Their reaction to the situation was, given the circumstances, expected and one might even say laudatory. These students had come to Washington, D.C. to support life. They marched peacefully with hundreds of thousands of others – young and old and in-between – to further the cause of life. These young high school students could never have expected what they experienced on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial while waiting for the busses to take them home. Their stance there was surely a pro-life stance. I commend them.
Can't wait for Rob Sanders @KYprosecutor to get a hold of these people. They will regret their actions.https://t.co/zii5udsaJl
— Todd V. McMurtry (@ToddMcMurtry) February 13, 2019
The FBI has joined local law enforcement in investigating the threats made against the school and its students, according to LifeSiteNews.
Ohio Christian Alliance (OCA), one of several pro-life groups that called on federal law enforcement agencies to investigate threats of violence against the students, confirmed that the Covington FBI office was involved.
“OCA President Chris Long received a call from the Special Agent working in the Covington FBI office, confirming that the office was in receipt of our letter and confirmed that the FBI was working with local law enforcement to investigate the threats that were made against the school and its students,” Cleveland Right to Life stated in a press release February 8. “The indication was that charges will be filed in the coming weeks, if not days, against those who made threats against the students, their families, and Covington Catholic High School.”
We are pleased that the FBI and law enforcement officials are taking this matter seriously. These Christian students did nothing wrong, but a hate campaign was waged against them as they stood for the unborn by participating in the Annual March for Life,” said Long. “While waiting for their bus at the Lincoln Memorial steps after the march, they became the target of counter protesters. We encourage the FBI and Justice Department to thoroughly investigate, utilizing the video tapes and the twitter statements from individuals who made threats against the students.
We have said from the beginning that this is a watershed moment,” he continued. “A message needs to be sent to the public at large that making threats against minors resulting in harassment and potential danger is not free speech, but is in fact criminal activity.
The madness that followed the students from the encounter…put them at the center of a generated hate campaign, fueled by false media reports and social media,” Created Equal said in a press release during the initial call for an FBI investigation. “Known individuals have called for violence against the students and their Christian school.”
Wood and Sandmann family attorney Todd McMurtry announced earlier this month that they sent preservation letters to over 50 media outlets, individual journalists, celebrities, and several Catholic dioceses as the first step in potential libel and defamation lawsuits.
In an interview last week, McMurtry said new information keeps pouring in and predicted that “when it’s all over, the list is going to be in the hundreds.”
“Criminal prosecutions & civil lawsuits will teach members of the mob a lesson they will never forget,” Wood wrote on Twitter. “Agenda-driven, false attacks on innocent minor children will not be tolerated. What was done to Nick Sandmann can never be allowed to happen again.”
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