Judge Allows Defamation Suit Against Deadspin Over Chiefs Fan Article

A Delaware judge ruled that Deadspin's portrayal of a young Chiefs fan was potentially defamatory, allowing the lawsuit to proceed.

The lawsuit was filed by the family of a 9-year-old boy after Deadspin published an article accusing him of racist behavior at a football game.
The article included a photo showing only one side of the boy's face painted black, omitting that the other side was painted red, in support of the Kansas City Chiefs.
Judge Sean P. Lugg found Deadspin's statements about the boy's motives to be provably false and therefore actionable in a defamation case.
Deadspin argued that their article was an opinion piece protected by the First Amendment, but the judge identified a distinction between expressing an opinion and making false factual assertions.
The case will proceed to the pretrial discovery stage, where both parties will gather evidence, including Deadspin's editorial process and communications.