Judge reinstates libel suit against NYT

by   |  07.29.05  |  Current Events

This is from the New York Times. (registration required)

McLEAN, Va. (AP) — A federal appeals court has reinstated a libel suit against the New York Times filed by a former Army scientist who claims one of the paper’s columnists unfairly linked him to the deadly anthrax mailings in 2001.

Steven Hatfill sued the Times for a series of columns written by Nicholas Kristof that faulted the FBI for failing to thoroughly investigate Hatfill for the anthrax mailings that left five people dead.

The initial columns identified Hatfill only as ”Mr. Z,” but subsequent columns named him after Hatfill stepped forward to deny any role in the killings. Federal authorities labeled Hatfill ”a person of interest” in their investigation.

Last year, a federal judge tossed out Hatfill’s lawsuit, ruling that the columns did not defame Hatfill and accurately reflected the state of the FBI’s investigation.