We have previously discussed the defamation case involving Georgia gynecologist Dr. Mahendra Amin who was allegedly defamed by MSNBC, including by host Rachel Maddow, as the “uterus collector.” Now, not long after a settlement of CNN of another defamation case, MSNBC appears to have forked over damages to Dr. Amin to avoid a trial.
The case was not going well for NBC before it threw in the towel to avoid the April trial. That trial would have been embarrassing for hosts Maddow, Hayes, and Wallace as well as NBC News reporters Jacob Soboroff and Julia Ainsley, MSNBC producer Denis Horgan, senior director of stands and practices Mary Lockhart, deputy head of standards Chris Scholl and others.
The complaint alleged that NBC reporters Jacob Soboroff and Julia Ainsley developed the story on the whistleblower’s claims despite initial skepticism from the network’s standards department.
MSNBC quickly followed with a series of on-air reports in which the doctor was often referred to as the “uterus collector.” The story was based on allegations by “a former nurse at the facility named Dawn Wooten.” Wooten is quoted extensively in the opinion:
We’ve questioned among ourselves like goodness he’s taking everybody’s stuff out …. That’s his specialty, he’s the uterus collector. I know that’s ugly … is he collecting these things or something[?] … Everybody he sees, he’s taking all their uteruses out or he’s taken their tubes out.
Despite misgivings about Wooten’s credibility, MSNBC continued with stories that portrayed Dr. Amin as a virtual Dr. Mengele. Critics charged that the story was irresistible for the channel because it combined reproductive health, immigration, and social equity issues. Whatever the reason, hosts and executives set aside their doubts and ran stories that made Dr. Amin an infamous figure throughout the country.
Judge Lisa Godbey Wood (S.D. Ga.) found that the stories were false in claiming that Dr. Amin performed “hysterectomies that were unnecessary, unauthorized, or even botched.” She also found that MSNBC may have published the reports knowing that the allegations were false or with reckless disregard for the truth.
In granting summary judgment in favor of Dr. Amin, Judge Wood wrote:
Multiple statements are verifiably false. The undisputed evidence has established that: (1) there were no mass hysterectomies or high numbers of hysterectomies at the facility; (2) Dr. Amin performed only two hysterectomies on female detainees from the ICDC; and (3) Dr. Amin is not a “uterus collector.” The Court must look to each of the statements in the context of the entire broadcast or social media post to assess the construction placed upon it by the average viewer. Doing so, the undisputed evidence establishes that multiple NBC statements are false.
The Court emphasized that “it does not matter that NBC did not make these accusations directly, but only republished the whistleblower letter’s allegations. If accusations against a plaintiff are “based entirely on hearsay,” “[t]he fact that the charges made were based upon hearsay in no manner relieves the defendant of liability. Charges based upon hearsay are the equivalent in law to direct charges.”
That can be a chilling standard for the media, which often reports on the fact of allegations that are newsworthy. However, Judge Wood said that NBC went well beyond such a role in this case:
…the focus of these three broadcasts was not on unnecessary or unconsented-to “medical procedures.” The focus was on “mass hysterectomies” and “high numbers of hysterectomies,” performed without necessity and consent, at the facility. This is reinforced by MSNBC’s own headlines: “WHISTLEBLOWER: HIGH NUMBER OF HYSTERECTOMIES AT ICE DETENTION CTR.” and “COMPLAINT: MASS HYSTERECTOMIES PERFORMED ON WOMEN AT ICE FACILITY.”
The court noted that “[w]hile opinions and hyperbole are typically non-actionable, they become actionable when they are capable of being proved false.” That includes MSNBC referring to Dr. Amin as someone known to be a “uterus collector” and “taking everybody’s stuff out” state facts that can be proved false. Judge Wood held that “[t]hese statements are not mere subjective assessments of Plaintiff over which reasonable minds could differ. They are also not simply rhetorical hyperbole or obviously exaggerated statements that are unprovable…”
Under Georgia law, the court held that this met the “actual malice” standard. Given the earlier losses in court, the expectation is that Amin received much, if not all, of the requested $30 million demanded in the lawsuit. It appears that Dr. Amin is now the “damages collector.”
Several people have already commented that Joy Reid is out, and that she is a long-standing progressive. I don’t think so. I don’t think she believes half the crap she spews. I think Reid is just a big fat liar, like Rachel Maddow, who will say what she is told to say, for money. Both of them, and others, are like Mikey – who will eat anything! They will say anything put before them. Need somebody to say something outrageous and stupid on air – give a ring to Joy and Rachel. Do you really think Rachel Maddow believed the Russian Collusion crap? Hell, give me $30 million, and I will say that I believe it! I ain’t proud! But the difference is, that after I got my money and took care of my critters and my family, then I would quit lying, and start telling the truth.
That is what I find so offensive about these people – not that they lie – but that they never stop lying. Even after they are filthy rich. Is it shame that keeps them going? Are they just that money hungry or attention seeking, that they can’t quit?
Floyd,
I respectfully disagree. Reid has made a number of crazy posts on some SM. One was about disowning or cutting off friends and family who voted for Trump. I think she is a true believer.
You may be right. I don’t know her personally, but she did have some earlier tweets or social media where she got busted saying non-pc stuff. But I have a hard time not believing that most of these talking heads are just out and liars, putting on a show for money. Just as fake as professional wrestling. You had Van Jones way back when, on tape, telling someone that Russiagate was a big nothing burger. And even Rachel Maddow had to know the Mueller report found nothing.
So I think Joy Reid is just peddling whatever sells to her audience. Her audience needs to vent their hate, and she gives them the hate they need. For money. For big money.
Floyd,
You have a point there. They have to sell their brand to their audience and what their audience wants to see or is willing to put up with. I used to listen to NPR all the time until 2016. Then they went so far overboard with advocacy journalism it was nauseating. I switched them off. Now they are finding out that was not a good choice but rather than do something to get some of their audience back, they just keep on doubling down. That is why I think they are true believers. Only a true believer would keep doing the same thing while losing money.
Yep, as long as you can keep them fighting amongst themselves, no one will notice while you pick their pockets.
I was looking forward to the courtroom trial, featuring Rachel Maddow in the witness box, UNDER OATH. Maddow’s ‘punishment’ should be something so alien to her that it’ll never happen without a formal Court Order: Maddow needs to say the two words she NEVER says….”I’m sorry.”
She will stand for Judgement.
You can find many of her colleagues in Romans 1:18-32
Is Roman’s 1:18-32 a scary place?
Romans, that is, not Roman’s. (Damn spell-check).
If you’re an actual Christian – the opposite of Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi, Barack Obama, Reverend Jeremiah Wright, etc.
For all of your columns on Freedom of the Press I have yet to see you write a column about the Trump White House excluding the Associated Press.
Yep. They gave them their freedom to go lie elsewhere.
It’s the Gulf of America, not Gulf of Mexico. AP is engaged in misinformation. Pot. Kettle.
Does the AP have a constitutional right to enter the Oval Office or to board Air Force One?
it is my understanding that AP is not totally excluded. They are only excluded from being on Air Force One front row seating at Presbury things and a few things like that. They still have access to the White House grounds.
Good news folks, Joy Reid is out at MSNBC according to the NY Post.
Just exchanging one hysteric for three. Michael Steele has gone off the rails.
“The 7 p.m. program hosted by Trump critic Reid, 56, will be replaced by a new panel show featuring co-hosts Alicia Menendez, Michael Steele, and Symone Sanders Townsend, the New York Times reported, citing insiders.”
MSNBC is in a death spiral. the new president is no more keen on reversing their irrelevancy than the prior leadership. Michael Steele? what is Bill Kristol not available?
Pathetic network
Long-standing progressive Joy Reid has been anchoring her 7 pm show The ReidOut since 2020 but after a major shake-up at the network, led by new network president Rebecca Kutler, her tenure at the network comes to a close this week. Reid’s final show will air this week.
After that the 7 pm hour will feature a panel show helmed by former Democrat strategist Symone Sandrers Townsend, Alicia Mendez, and former RNC chair Michael Steele. Steele has emerged as a critic of both President Donald Trump and Elon Musk. MSNBC’s ratings are a major factor in Kutler’s changes. The network, while doing better than CNN, has been falling well-short of Fox News, per The New York Times.
“MSNBC has been working to bring viewers back after the results of the 2024 presidential election,” Variety notes. “Both MSNBC and CNN saw significant erosion following Donald Trump’s return to the White House and the national conversation, and both have unveiled programing shake-ups in recent weeks.”
Removing Joy Reid isn’t the only change being made by Kutler. Rachel Maddow, who peddles progressive outrage similar to Reid’s, is only scheduled to host her show five nights per week until the end of Trump’s 100 days in office. After that, her spot was set to be filled by Alex Wagner. Now, Kutler is planning to put another host in that spot and is leaning toward former Biden White House press secretary Jen Psaki, who has been on MSNBC since turning over the reins to Karine Jean-Pierre.
https://thepostmillennial.com/msnbc-cancels-joy-reids-show
Estovir,
Let us see how long they last.
“Joy Reid out…”
Good move. I don’t like the way she has disrespected the Founders of our nation.
We’ll see what kind of diluted lefty hogwash the new crew dishes.
HullBobby,
Just reading that! What a good morning!
It is good news isn’t it Mr. Upstate! I understand that she is being replaced by three radical racists, like her, but anytime one of these lunatic, racists grifters loses their position it is a good thing.
Next up is Nicolle Wallace and Chris Hayes.
WTF took so long to get rid of that racist gas bag?
None of the chimpanzees at the zoo were able to negotiate choice bananas with the network. So Reid, more than willing to settle for cow chips, remained in the cage
Just another reason, thank you, to not watch fake-news MSNBC.
Reporting any allegation as a fact is wrong. Using rumors as headlines is wrong. It is amazing that so many people who claim to be journalists and defenders of the 1st Amendment appear to have never heard of tort law.
I think MSNBC has gotten lawsuit shy, justifiably so of course. Ironically, they probably could have gotten themselves a boost in popularity if they had the balls (pun intended) to use this story to expose one of healthcare’s greatest, revenue-producing scams. Long ago, there were two congressional hearings on the overuse of hysterectomies, yet not only has nothing changed, it’s gotten far worse over time. I’m not a betting man, but I’d bet money on the nurse being right about this doctor.
Gyn surgeons are encouraged to perform hysterectomies in large numbers, necessary or not, while gyn surgery is the most inadequately trained surgical specialty that there is. I know that if a woman I loved was recommended gyn surgery, I’d spend a LOT of time making sure it was necessary and finding a surgeon who was genuinely competent. Unfortunately and appallingly, it’s just as hard to evaluate doctors as it is to evaluate auto mechanics, which speaks to just how absurdly terrible America’s healthcare system is.
Hopefully RFK can have a long-overdue impact on this disgraceful practice.
This is an example of an outright lie. Typical of anons.
Funny, I know and meet thousands of women in my life, and i dont know a single on who has had a hist. Not one.
Further, i dont know any woman who would get one without 3 opinions.
While she didn’t go into detail (thank goodness) a woman I know got an emergency hysterectomy at the birth of her second child. My mom got one as part of cancer treatment, but she was already in her 40s.
Is that propane or mehane you’re using in your gaslighting?!
I would think that the past 5 years were enough to awaken people to the increasingly poor outcomes in American healthcare, though these issues have been progressive for decades. I saw part of the decline in my years working in a hospital and I saw the differences in practices between specialties while working in an OR. Part of the decline in so many of our institutions is due to the same issue with the “administrative state” taking root, and healthcare is a perfect example. Turley’s story is a good example of the right issue being raised by “the wrong people”. I don’t are who’s exposing the issue if the issue is valid.
Regarding the overuse of hysterectomies along with the negative health impacts, this article from 2000 is a good summary:
Far Too Many Hysterectomies Still Being Performed
https://rense.com/health3/hyster.htm
A book from 2002:
The Hysterectomy Hoax: The Truth About Why Many Hysterectomies Are Unnecessary and How to Avoid Them
https://www.amazon.com/Hysterectomy-Hoax-Truth-Hysterectomies-Unnecessary/dp/0970090811
Regarding the insufficient surgical training of OB/GYNs, from a highly respected physician who specializes in ethics and women’s health:
An Open Letter to the American College of Surgeons: Residency Training in Gynecology Is Dangerously Deficient
iudawareness.org/links-blog/2017/10/1/an-open-letter-to-the-american-college-of-surgeons-residency-training-in-gynecology-is-dangerously-deficient
Hearsay can be sued. Looks like the media’s “unnamed sources” are no longer going to be treated like oracles. The nation’s propagandists might actually have to confirm their stories. Democrats might be reduced to getting all their news from undocumented blog trolls like those below. Truly a dark day for muckrakers!!
Yeah and Trump LIED about bringing an immediate precipitous drop in the price of groceries to cheat his way into office again so he could pay Putin back for helping him cheat in 2016. Trump sold the power to arbitrarily fire government employees and play dictator to the world’s richest man for the bargain price of $250 million.
Trump has been sued dozens of times already, has had several injunctions issued against him and has set a record for the lowest approval ratings one month in office. Americans have taken to the streets in protest and town hall meetings held by members of Congress are full to overflowing with upset Americans. After Trump pulled federal support for the traffic abatement program in NYC, that was very successful, he posted a picture of himself wearing a gold crown and called himself “King”. Trump LIED about Zelenskyy being an unelected dictator who started the war with Russia.
Turley has to bend over backwards to ignore these serious stories that affect all of us to go after non MAGA media for a relatively insignificant story— thinking, perhaps, that it sets off the daily diet of lies put out by MAGA media.
Why are liberals so nuts?
#74. About 30% of them think they didn’t get their fair share. You cut the cake and they got the crumbs. Another percentage are opportunistic sociopaths. Another percentage are socialists. Etc…
They are what they eat?
and ..
Deez…
Yellow Anonymous spouts yellow journalism. Yellow is the new red.
According to Rasmussen, who outperformed the media darlings in the last election, Trump has 51% approval. Please, ignore everything Yellow Anonymous spews.
“Trump has 51% approval.”
…or higher…
New poll shows Trump approval rating at 53%
https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/polling/new-poll-shows-trump-approval-rating-53
“”In 13 weekly surveys since he won in November, Trump’s rating has stayed within two points of 53% twelve times. Ten of those surveys found his approval at 53% or within just a single point of 53%,” Rasmussen wrote on Saturday. ”
Which is not bad at al, according to the historical record:
Presidential Approval Ratings — Gallup Historical Statistics and Trends
https://news.gallup.com/poll/116677/Presidential-Approval-Ratings-Gallup-Historical-Statistics-Trends.aspx
For 16 years you’ve voted for and promoted the lies of Obama, Clinton, and Biden. All while they “fundamentally changed America” with their phones and pens.
Now you want to convince us you actually recognize what a lie looks like. You don’t even recognize when Trump trolls your angry commie ass.
Wow, The TDS is beyond belief!
If everything you claim is true – in the way that YOU say it – Trump will fail miserably and be impeached and removed by republlicans before the end of his 2nd month.
How many times does reality have to bite you in the ass before you think MAYBE your having a problem perceiving it ?
Those of you on the left made a F#$King mess and it is going to take more than 24hrs to clean it up.
Trump accomplished alot in 24hrs – but he is not god.
The price of eggs will drop either when flocks are cleared of Bird Flu – which could be soon.
Or when they are destroyed and slowly rebuilt – that could take months.
Prices will come down – atleast in real rather than nominal terms when the economy starts growing.
That is not magic – it is econ 101. Absent govenrment interference in a free market real prices always decline slowly.
Getting inflation back under control – stabilizing nominal rather than just real prices requires eliminating the cause of inflation – and that is massive govenrment spending funded by the FED creating money from thin air and loaning it to the government.
That is precisely what DOGE is trying to do – that Democrats are fighting.
In 2024 people did not vote for Trump because he promised to lower egg prices in 24hrs.
They voted for him – because a majority believed that Biden/Harris would continue to screw things up.
For some Trump is someone they trust to make things right.
But that was not near enough to win the election.
Trump and Republicans won because for very good reason – Trump is at the very worst the lessor of two evils – the left is the greater.
Trump did not win because voters thought he would reduce the price of eggs in 24hrs.
They voted for Trump because Biden/Harris were more likely to make things worse than Trump.
A recent AZ focus group of 11 people who voted for Biden in 2020 and Trump in 2024 found that ALL of them continue to support Trump.
and 9 of the 100 think he is doing better than expected.
People are not stupid – they no Trump says things will be easier than they actually will be – no one wants a repeat of Carter’s Malaise.
But they do know who is likely to make things improve and who is likely to make things worse.
But you need not beleive me.
You can continue waiting for the world in which any of your idiotic ideas actually work
Where a majority of people share your ideas.
You will be waiting forever.
What a fool. Spends hours writing this unintelligible nonsense. What a delusional fool.
John Say,
Well said. Ever notice TDS leftists never can offer a viable solution? They only can double down on their failures.
John
It wasn’t just a mess made by the left. HE and GW had a pretty good run at fkin it up in the name of One World Order. Plenty of blame to go around for both sides of the Uniparty!
HW
Good post, maroon and gold Anon.
I don’t feel sorry for Trump voters. If they can’t afford eggs, then let them eat crow.
Are there black helicopters flying over your house every night, Anon?
Great setup for the last sentence.
What an absolute MORON (apologies to all other morons). trump and musk are treating people like they are 10 years old. This will not go well.
“Please reply to this email with approx. 5 bullets of what you accomplished this week and cc your manager,” said the message, which was sent to federal employees on Saturday afternoon
Watch Tesla fall apart. If this is the moron in charge of Tesla, I am surprised he has anybody at all working of him. How juvenile. But I expect nothing more from a guy that had to kiss the ass of the prez who has the mentality of a 5 year old. so we now have two 5 year olds running the country and nobody with any smarts at all will stand up to him for fear of looking smarter than the king and getting roasted.
This country is in sad shape. Thank you trump voters, you have put an imbecile in charge of the country.
One trick pony. Cheap criticism here with nothing productive or contributory. Typical incivility through impertinent impudence.
BAN FOR LIFE!
GET USED TO IMPERTINENT IMPUDENCE
SOUNDS LIKE A PLAN… 👍 😃
JOY TO THE FISHES IN THE DEEP BLUE SEA
JOY TO YOU AND ME
“SOUNDS LIKE A PLAN…”
Yeah, equally potent to your vaunted “resistance”. You are noting but a clueless, useless, and meaningless cipher.
“Watch Tesla fall apart.” LOL! Why didn’t you include SpaceX?
Wow! What an amazing concept! Actually expecting employees to produce something of value for their employer! I realize, of course, that this would be an entirely alien concept to a genius such as yourself.
How much did the DNC pay you to write that horseshit?
-John Underwood
Tyler, TX
Yank: Musk is a corporate feudal lord. His employees are serfs.
It’s an old story.
They’re all at will employees and they are all compensated generously for their hard work. They are not bound to Musk, they may depart at will or may be terminated at will. I am sure they are there for the money, the benefits and the professional opportunities that Musk’s businesses provide. It’s called free enterprise, you should try it, you may like it instead of this horse sh!t.
BT – there is no right to be treated with respect. Respect is something that you earn.
How do employees earn the respect of their employer – and keep their jobs.
One way would be by accomplishing 5 things of consequence in a week.
I do not care if you are a government employee or in a private company – you should be able to do that.
When I send bills to my clients they expect me to tell them EXACTLY what I did for them that they should be paying.
Most of the time I do not need my employees to tell me what they did last week – I am working beside and with them and I KNOW what they have done. But that is often not true in larger enterprises and likely nearly never true in govenrment.
Regardless if you can not provide 5 things you have done each week that justified paying you – then you should be fired – for cause.
Yes Trump/Doge are looking for a reason to fire you.
They have made no secret that they are cutting federal employment significantly.
They are allowed to do that – all employers are.
They have made no secret that they will be cutting unproductive employees.
You have FALSELY rated repeatedly that they were firing critical people.
Here you have them giving federal employees the oportunity each week to
prove that they did work of actual value each week, and you want to piss over that ?
If you wourk for me and you can not tell me – at a moments notice the work related accomplishments you have made in the past week then you are headed out the door.
People who are not morons and have accomplished something will have no problems with this.
Further if many federal employees suddenly become productive because they know they will have to prove they have accomplished something each week, That is a good thing for the country.
Or do you think that federal employment is a sinecure ?
It was – now it wont be.
federal employees will have to accomplish something to keep their jobs – like the rest of us.
Only an entitled left wing nut thinks that employees are entitled to a free ride.
Will this go well ?
Federal employees can FIRST accomplish things each week and then competently communicate what they have accomplished or they may lose their job for cause. This is likely a way to get arround hopelessly subjective reviews by immediate superiors.
I would note that if a superior is handing out good performance reviews for employees who can not write down what they have accmplished – not only is this bad for the employees – but bad for the superior.
“Watch Tesla fall apart”
Tesla has 1.0^ in Market Cap – it is 8th of only 11 companies in the world worth over $1T.
Of the top 15 companies in the world ALL the top 5 are US, and 13 of the top 15 are US
Of the top 10 only Berkshire Hathaway and Saudi Aramaco were arround in 1970.
Most of these companies did not exist in 2000.
“The Moron” in charge of Tesla has made hundreds of thousands of investors – possibly your 401K lots of money.
Places like Tesla are demanding employers. They reward performance, and clear people out who do not perform.
They are difficult places to work – some of us take pride in doing a difficult job well.
No one comes to work at Tesla not knowing what is expected of them.
Musk is the largest electric car maker in the world – the only auto company with a market cap of $1T.
It is a really really bad argument to claim the richest man in the world – whose wealth is self made.
Who has gambled big over and over, and always succeeded is somehow a moron..
Sorry BT this is how the world works – you improve your lot in like by producing things that others value.
Expecting govenrment employees to be able to report once a week what value they have accomplished that justifies their pay shoudl be the NORM most everywhere.
“This country is in sad shape.”
That is correct – it has 36T in debt. deficits of $2T/year and an increase in the Deficit of 9T under Biden.
The US finances are NOT sustainable. We are rapidly approaching debt of 200% of GDP while Japan has managed to have a zombie economy at 200% of GDP for 3 decades – no country has ever recovered from debt reaching 200% of GDP.
Yes, the country is in sad shape – and you are pissing over the efforts to fix that now while the pain is not enormous.
Republicans want to cut 1.5T/decade from the budget – that will not be a speed bump on the road to h311.
We need 1.6T/YEAR
And if you wait too long that is NOT going to come from waste, fraud and reduced staff.
Soon enough it will come from critical programs like defense and social security
The problem with spending other peoples money is you always run out of other peoples money.
“Thank you trump voters”
You should – doing this now will be much easier than having to do worse later.
“you have put an imbecile in charge of the country.”
“Guys, can we cut it out? Donald Trump is not an idiot. Let me just be very clear. Donald Trump is smarter than me, you, and all of his critics, You know how I know? Because he has the White House, the Senate, the House, the Supreme Court, the popular vote, There’s just no arguing with his success, winning a presidential election in the face of overt mainstream media hostility and other huge headwinds, He has a massive media ecosystem, bigger than the mainstream, built around him, and for him, and a religious fervor in a political movement around him. And his best buddy is the richest person in the history of the world, and the most relevant Kennedy is with him,
The Democrats’ strategy of hostility toward Mr. Trump and contempt for his supporters is just a losing formula”
Van Jones
#74. So the censor in censorship is the courtroom. You can say what you want but there’s a price and in some cases criminal.
Trump and Musk are dismantling socialism and outright crime as in USAID.
John Say,
One thing these government employees, some of them, can start doing, showing up for work.
John say
I hope you don’t charge your clients by the word!🤣
They’re dismantling socialism.
USAID had no oversight. It was money laundering.
THE IMBECILE ALREADY LEFT! JOE BIDEN
Kirk
Joe Biden wouldn’t even make a good pimple on an imbeciles arse!
An imbecile? Look in the mirror friend and see what a real imbecile looks like. Another rabid fool.
Every professional I know has to track how he uses his time. People who want a raise or promotion
must present a list of accomplishments — except for Kamala Harris.