A Delaware judge has decided to not dismiss a lawsuit filed against Deadspin for writing an article that accused a nine-year-old boy of racism.
Deadspin accused the child of racism after an image showed him with his face painted red and black while wearing a Native American headdress during a Kansas City Chiefs game.
Driving the news: Deadspin writer Carron Phillips accused Holden Armenta of being racist based on a misleading screenshot showing only the side of his face painted black.
- The article’s headline was “The NFL needs to speak out against the Kansas City Chiefs fan in Black face, Native headdress.”
- Phillips called on NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to address the issue.
- Phillips also said the child “found a way to hate black people and the Native American at the same time.”
- Holden and his family received hateful messages and death threats after the article was published, according to the lawsuit.
The big picture: Judge Lugg denied Deadspin’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit, stating that the accusations made in the article were actionable false assertions of fact.
- Deadspin’s argument that the lawsuit should have been filed in California – where the family lives – instead of Delaware was also rejected.
