When Judges Become Plaintiffs: The Story of a Judge's Failed Defamation Lawsuit

In a world where judges usually pass judgment, what happens when the roles are reversed, and a judge becomes a plaintiff? In this video, we review a a judge's failed defamation lawsuit.
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The case in question involves a judge who embarked on a legal battle not from the bench, but as a plaintiff in a defamation lawsuit. The details of this case are fascinating, as it's not often we see a judge as a plaintiff in a lawsuit.

Judge Paula Patrick, a Pennsylvania state judge, claimed that the Daily Beast defamed her in an article that linked her to a notorious organization. Judge Patrick complained that the Daily Beast's article painted her in a false light.

Defamation involves making false statements about someone that harms their reputation. Defamation and false-light cases can be notoriously difficult to win. That's particularly true where, as here, the plaintiff must adequately plead and prove "actual malice." Actual malice means that the journalist who published the statement either knew that it was false or made it in reckless disregard of falsity.

U.S. District Judge Joshua Wolson dismissed Patrick's lawsuit with prejudice based on his finding that Judge Patrick had "failed to plead facts that could plausibly support an inference of actual malice."

In his opinion, Judge Wolson explained, "Being a judge requires a thick skin and a willingness to make decisions in
the face of criticism, even unfair criticism, and to remember that sticks and stones may
break my bones, but names can never hurt me."

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