Attorneys for the Kentucky teen — who was filmed earlier this year in January wearing a MAGA hat in a viral standoff with Native American activist Nathan Phillips in Washington, DC — claimed the newspaper's coverage of the incident led to a "mob of bullies which attacked, vilified & threatened" Sandmann.
But US District Judge William Bertelsman tossed the suit, saying the paper was within its rights to publish Phillips' views that the teen was deliberately blocking his path — even if that wasn't the case.
"The Court accepts Sandmann's statement that, when he was standing motionless in the confrontation with Philip's his intent was to calm the situation and not to impede or block anyone," Bertelsman wrote in a ruling.
"However, Phillips did not see it that way. He concluded that he was being 'blocked' and not allowed to 'retreat,'" the ruling read. "He passed these conclusions on to The Post. They may have been erroneous, but ... they are opinion protected by the First Amendment. And The Post is not liable for publishing these opinions, for the reasons discussed in this Opinion."
The Kentucky student was with his class in the nation's capital taking part in an anti-abortion rally on Jan. 18 when he was confronted by Philips — and subsequent footage of Sandmann and his classmates appearing to surround the older man led to fierce criticism of the teens online.
Sandmann's lawsuit had claimed that the Washington Post "ignored the truth and falsely accused Nicholas of, among other things, 'accost[ing]' Phillips by 'suddenly swarm[ing]' him in a 'threaten[ing]' and 'physically intimidat[ing]' manner."
Sandmann has brought similar lawsuits against NBC and CNN.
Comment: More on the incident: