Covington teenager sues NBC for $275M, lawyer says

An attorney representing Covington Catholic High School student Nick Sandmann said Wednesday that he filed a $275 million defamation lawsuit against NBC Universal on Sandmann’s behalf. 

“Today, @LLinWood and I filed a $275,000,000 lawsuit against NBCUniversal on behalf of Nicholas Sandmann. The facts of the suit show the anti-Trump narrative NBC pushed so hard,” attorney Todd V. McMurtry wrote in a tweet Wednesday afternoon.

The tweet included a link to the 179-page complaint filed by McMurtry and L. Lin Wood, another attorney representing Sandmann, that accused the network of publishing “false and defamatory accusations” against Sandmann in its coverage of him earlier this year.

Today, @LLinWood and I filed a $275,000,000 lawsuit against NBCUniversal on behalf of Nicholas Sandmann. The facts of the suit show the anti-Trump narrative NBC pushed so hard. Here is a link if you wish to read it: https://t.co/X6v4HBqxXk pic.twitter.com/jcRTnWh5hl

— Todd V. McMurtry (@ToddMcMurtry) May 1, 2019

The lawsuit filed Wednesday accuses NBC Universal of attacking Sandmann in its coverage by “relying heavily on biased and unreliable sources without conducting any reasonable investigation of the circumstances surrounding the January 18 incident.”

“NBCUniversal’s attacks on Nicholas included at least fifteen defamatory television broadcasts, six defamatory online articles, and many tweets falsely accusing Nicholas and his Covington Catholic High School (‘CovCath’) classmates of racists acts,” the complaint states.{mosads} 

According to the lawsuit, Sandmann is seeking $75 million in compensatory damages and $200 million in punitive damages.

Lawsuits were filed on behalf of Sandmann earlier this year against The Washington Post and CNN, seeking $250 million and $275 million, respectively. 

Sandmann, who was in Washington, D.C., in January to participate with other students in the March for Life, came into contact with Nathan Phillips, who was in the area for the Indigenous Peoples March, according to multiple reports.

During the confrontation between Phillips and the students, Sandmann, who was wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat, was captured on video standing in front of Phillips while smiling. Other students, many of whom were also wearing MAGA hats, were also captured on video laughing and yelling while standing around Phillips.

The footage prompted backlash from many on social media who felt the teens were taunting Phillips. 

However, more extensive footage of the incident later emerged, showing that a group of Black Hebrew Israelites appeared to instigate the confrontation.

The Hill has reached out to NBC Universal for comment.