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A Houston federal judge dismissed Kash Patel's defamation lawsuit against former FBI official Frank Figliuzzi over comments made on MSNBC, ruling the statement was rhetorical hyperbole. The ruling came one day after Patel filed a separate $250M defamation lawsuit against The Atlantic over an article alleging alcohol abuse. Figliuzzi's attorney called the decision a victory for press freedom and the First Amendment.
Transcript
00:00It's Benzinga, bringing Wall Street to Main Street.
00:02A Houston federal judge dismissed a defamation lawsuit filed by FBI Director Cash Patel
00:07against former FBI official Frank Figluzzi over comments made on MSNBC in May 2025.
00:14Patel alleged that Figluzzi defamed him by claiming he spent more time at nightclubs
00:18than at FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C.
00:21U.S. District Court Judge George Hanks Jr. ruled the statement was rhetorical hyperbole
00:26and could not support a defamation claim.
00:30The court said a reasonable person would not interpret the remark as factual.
00:33The ruling came one day after Patel filed a separate $250 million defamation lawsuit
00:39against the Atlantic over an article alleging alcohol abuse.
00:43Figluzzi's attorney called the decision a victory for press freedom in the First Amendment.
00:47For all things money, visit Benzinga.com.
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