''Nunes v. CNN'' (''Devin G. Nunes v. Cable News Network, Inc.'') is a defamation lawsuit filed by US Representative
Devin Nunes
Devin Gerald Nunes (; born October 1, 1973) is an American businessman and politician who serves as the Chair of the President's Intelligence Advisory Board since January 20, 2025, and as chief executive officer of the Trump Media & Technolog ...
(R-CA) in Virginia against media corporation
CNN
Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...
on December 3, 2019, for $435 million.
The suit was filed in the
under docket (3:19-cv-00889).
The suit alleges that CNN reported that Nunes traveled to Vienna in December 2018, and met with
Viktor Shokin, the former Ukrainian prosecutor general, about investigating
Joe Biden
Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...
. The suit claims this is untrue and that Nunes was in
Libya
Libya, officially the State of Libya, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya border, the east, Sudan to Libya–Sudan border, the southeast, Chad to Chad–L ...
, followed by
Malta
Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...
.
Nunes had previously filed lawsuits against
The McClatchy Company
McClatchy Media Company, or simply McClatchy and MCC, is an American publishing company incorporated under Delaware's General Corporation Law. Originally based in Sacramento, California, United States, and known as The McClatchy Company, it b ...
, ''
Esquire Magazine
''Esquire'' is an American men's magazine. Currently published in the United States by Hearst, it also has more than 20 international editions.
Founded in 1933, it flourished during the Great Depression and World War II under the guidance of ...
'' and
Twitter
Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...
on news items and stories unrelated to the
presidential impeachment proceedings.
On May 22, 2020, U.S. District Judge Robert E. Payne granted CNN's request to transfer the suit to the Southern District of New York, finding "no logical connection" between the lawsuit and the Virginia court where it was filed, and citing "significant concerns" that the lawsuit had been filed in Virginia for the purpose of
forum shopping
Forum shopping is a Colloquialism, colloquial term for the practice of litigants taking actions to have their legal case heard in the court they believe is most likely to provide a favorable judgment. Some jurisdiction (area), jurisdictions hav ...
.
Federal judge
Laura Taylor Swain dismissed the suit on February 19, 2021.
References
{{Reflist
CNN
United States defamation case law
2019 Trump–Ukraine scandal
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia cases
Virginia state case law
Congressional controversies in the United States