Republican Coal King Sues HBO Over John Olivers Show

[babylonsister]

Republican Coal King Sues HBO Over John Oliver’s Show
The late-night comedian aired a pointed segment about miner safety—and predicted the lawsuit that has just been lodged against him.
Betsy Woodruff
06.21.17 7:17 PM ET


A Republican coal baron is suing John Oliver, HBO, Time Warner, and the writers for Oliver’s show over the most recent episode of Last Week Tonight.

The suit, filed on June 21 in the circuit court of Marshall County, West Virginia, holds that Oliver and his team “executed a meticulously planned attempt to assassinate the character of and reputation of Mr. Robert E. Murray and his companies” by airing an episode that ripped into him. Murray runs the country’s largest privately owned coal company, Murray Energy Corporation.

“They did this to a man who needs a lung transplant, a man who does not expect to live to see the end of this case,” reads the complaint, which also lists Murray’s companies as plaintiffs.

The lawsuit isn’t a surprise to Oliver. In fact, the British comic said on the episode of his show that aired on June 18 that he expected it, noting that Murray has sued several other media outlets in the past (including, in May, the New York Times). In the episode, Oliver criticized Murray’s business practices, saying he doesn’t do enough to protect his miners’ safety. Oliver also noted that his team contacted Murray’s company before the episode aired, and that the company sent a cease-and-desist letter––the first time that had ever happened to his show.

Parts of the complaint read like it had been written by President Donald Trump. One paragraph says Murray “has built a strong reputation as one of the as one of the staunchest defenders and most ardent champions of the United States coal industry and America itself.” The complaint also claims that “[d]efendants’ broadcasts have vigorously supported and advanced Mrs. Clinton’s agenda.”

At the heart of Murray’s complaint is Oliver’s discussion of the collapse of one of his mines in Utah, which killed nine people. Oliver said on the show that a government report concluded the collapse happened because of unauthorized mining practices, and also noted that Murray holds the collapse actually happened because of an earthquake.

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http://www.thedailybeast.com/coal-king-sues-hbo-over-john-olivers-show

[RhodeIslandOne]

1. Poor widdle Trumpflake

I bet there are hundreds of his workers who'll need a lung more than this shitbag.

[njhoneybadger]

2. Oh, The Irony

Coal Barron needs lung transplant.

[babylonsister]

4. Right?! nt

[nocalflea]

3. There has to be a miner, somewhere out there, willing to give the poor man a lung.

[RhodeIslandOne]

8. They must not REALLY want a job!

Bow down before your master!

[Vinca]

5. Oh, boy. John's going to get his money's worth out of this one.

By the time he gets done with big coal, even miners won't want the jobs.

[superpatriotman]

6. He's dying?

Good.

[Gothmog]

7. This is a bogus lawsuit