Judge Rejects Deadspin Outlet’s Bid To Dismiss Defamation Lawsuit Over Young KC Chiefs Fan
Stock Image. (Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images)
OAN Staff Blake Wolf 12:48 PM – Wednesday, October 9, 2024
A Delaware Judge has ruled against dismissing a defamation lawsuit against Deadspin, a sports-based outlet, after a defamatory article was released that accused an innocent 9-year-old fan of racism as he chose to wear Native American attire and black face paint at a Chiefs game.
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The lawsuit was filed by the parents of 9-year-old Holden, Raul Armenta Jr., and his wife, Shannon. Superior Court Judge Sean Lugg rejected the motion to dismiss the defamation lawsuit on Monday.
The controversial article in question was written by journalist Carron Phillips and it was published by Deadspin.
On the Deadspin website, Phillips’s official journalist bio reads: “Saginaw Native. Morehouse Man. Syracuse (Newhouse) Alum. 2019 & 2020 NABJ Award Winner. 2016 PABJ Journalist of the Year. I only eat my wings lemon-peppered. And I like brown liquor & brown women.”
The defaming article went on to claim that 9-year-old Holden found “a way to hate Black people and the Native American at the same time.” The photo featured in the piece displayed the targeted child wearing a Native American headdress with his face painted half red and half black, clearly representing his team’s colors as opposed to race.
“Deadspin published an image of a child displaying his passionate fandom as a backdrop for its critique of the NFL’s diversity efforts and, in its description of the child, crossed the fine line protecting its speech from defamation claims,” wrote Judge Legg. “Having reviewed the complaint, the court concludes that Deadspin’s statements accusing H.A. of wearing black face and Native headdress ‘to hate black people and the Native Americans at the same time,’ and that he was taught this hatred by his parents, are provable false assertions of fact and are therefore actionable.”
Additionally, the lawsuit also revealed that the Armentas family is of “Chumash-Indian descent,” leading to backlash against the journalist for falsely accusing Holden and his parents of racism.
“Deadspin and Carron Phillips have never shown a morsel of remorse for using a 9-year-old boy as their political football,” stated Elizabeth Locke, an attorney representing the Ardenta family. “The Armenta family is looking forward to taking depositions and presenting this case to a jury at trial.”
Phillips, however, has shockingly not deterred from his stance, and rather, he has since doubled down, writing: “For the idiots in my mentions who are treating this as some harmless act because the other side of his face was painted red, I could make the argument that it makes it even worse. Y’all are the ones who hate Mexicans but wear sombreros on Cinco.”
In addition, the lawsuit reveals Phillips’s lengthy history of discrimination and race baiting within the sports world.
“Accusing people of engaging in racist acts has long been Phillips’ modus operandi; his career is based on it,” the lawsuit continued. “His recent articles include” ‘Ryan Tannehill’s ‘support’ for young Titans quarterbacks depends on if they’re white’; ‘We know why Simone Biles doesn’t get the same attention as Taylor Swift at NFL games’, and ‘The Chicago Bears haven’t won a playoff game since Lovie Smith. Their next head coach should be Black.”
In the month following the announcement of the defamation suit, Deadspin was sold and the staff was laid off.
“Deadspin sells to european media company, leaving staff behind. The new owner, Lineup Publishing, will not be bringing on any of the sports website’s existing staff members,” the New York Times reported.
JUST IN: Delaware judge allows family's defamation lawsuit against Deadspin over accusations that their 9-year-old son wore 'blackface' at a Chiefs game last year to proceed
In 2023, Deadspin writer Carron Phillips published an article with a photo of nine-year-old Holden… pic.twitter.com/3hrDAs5PCk
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