Writer and conservative television and radio personality Mark Steyn has filed an appeal of the controversial decision against him in a defamation case brought by Michael Mann, the creator of the widely discredited “hockey stick” graph that featured so prominently in Al Gore’s fantasy film An Inconvenient Truth.
The DC court, helmed by Judge Alfred Irving, ruled in favor of Mann, awarding the scientist $1 in compensatory damages and $1 million in punitive damages from Steyn. Fellow defendant Rand Simberg was also found to have defamed the climate scientist, but his penalty was far smaller, only $1 in compensatory damages and $1,000 in punitive damages.
In 2021, the entities who published the alleged defamation — the Competitive Enterprise Institute and National Review — were found not liable for any defamation.
Writer Amy K. Mitchell referred to the verdict as “a bad day for America.” She wrote: “The precedent set today … means that disagreement and/or criticism of a matter of public policy — the founding principle of this country — is now in doubt. And should you choose to give voice to any dissent, you can [be] brought before a jury, held responsible, and fined.”
On Friday, Steyn filed a stay of execution of the $1 million award, arguing that “the $1,000,000…
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