Another reminder that Kentucky has an opportunity to enact an anti-SLAPP law in the 2022 legislative session.

"An appeals court on Tuesday threw out a defamation lawsuit that accused Rachel Maddow of defaming One America News by calling the network 'paid Russian propaganda.'

"The 9th Circuit Court of Appeal held that Maddow's commentary was protected by the First Amendment, as she was simply offering her opinion based on a Daily Beast story that revealed that one of OAN's contributors had previously written for Sputnik News, a Russian state-backed outlet.

"A district court judge threw out the suit in May 2020, also concluding that Maddow was giving her opinion and not attempting to make a factual statement. The judge, Cynthia Bashant, granted Maddow's motion to dismiss the suit under the California anti-SLAPP statute, which discourages frivolous suits that seek to chill public debate.

"In February, Magistrate Judge Allison H. Goddard ordered OAN to pay $247,667.50 to cover the legal fees for the defense."