MALICE, SPITE ILL WILL AND DELIBERATE INTENT TO HARM

 THE NEW YORK TIMES 

Michael Mann, a Leading Climate Scientist, Wins His Defamation Suit

The researcher had sued two writers for libel and slander over comments about his work. The jury awarded him damages of more than $1 million.

Washington, Feb. 8, 2024

The climate scientist Michael Mann on Thursday won his defamation lawsuit against Rand Simberg, a former adjunct scholar at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, and Mark Steyn, a contributor to National Review.

The trial transported observers back to 2012, the heyday of the blogosphere and an era of rancorous polemics over the existence of global warming, what the psychology researcher and climate misinformation blogger John Cook called “a feral time.”

The six-member jury … found both Mr. Simberg and Mr. Steyn guilty of defaming Dr. Mann with multiple false statements and awarded the scientist $1 in compensatory damages from each writer.

The jury also found the writers had made their statements with “maliciousness, spite, ill will, vengeance or deliberate intent to harm,” and levied punitive damages of $1,000 against Mr. Simberg and $1 million against Mr. Steyn 

The story of this lawsuit isn’t over… Asked about Competitive Enterprise Institute and National Review, John Williams, who represents Dr. Mann, said, “They’re next.”