MSNBC host Rachel Maddow is facing a $50 million lawsuit for allegedly making defamatory statements during a segment about conservative preacher and radio host Bradlee Dean. The lawsuit claims that Maddow intentionally misconstrued comments that Dean made last year regarding his beliefs on gay rights with the intent of damaging both his reputation and that of Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Maddow aired clips from Dean’s radio show during which he discussed Sharia Muslim law and his interpretation that it calls for the execution of homosexuals. Dean, founder of the conservative ministry group You Can Run But You Cannot Hide, contends that Maddow failed to note a disclaimer that he and his ministry “have never and will never call for the execution of homosexuals.”
The lawsuit, filed Wednesday by attorney Larry Klayman, seeks to recover monetary damages that resulted from Maddow’s statement that Dean “advocated using foreign enemies against America because Christian’s aren’t doing their job by killing gays and lesbians.” In addition to compromising Dean’s reputation, Klayman reportedly sited that Dean received numerous death threats as a result of Maddow’s comments.
Politico reports that Maddow did, in fact, run Dean’s disclaimer, and stated that he “didn’t really mean to sanction murder of gay people.” However, the language of the suit suggests that Maddow’s delivery of the disclaimer was insincere and therefore invalid.
MSNBC recently responded to the sizeable lawsuit by calling it “baseless.” The news outlet also explained that it stands by its reporting in the Dean incident.
