The acquittal of Kyle Rittenhouse on Friday could put the 18-year-old defendant in a prime position to launch a flurry of defamation lawsuits against media outlets and personalities who dubbed him a "white supremacist" and even likened him to a "school shooter" after he shot and killed two men in self-defense during riots in Kenosha, Wisconsin , last year.
Numerous outlets also spread misinformation about the case, called Rittenhouse a "vigilante," and matter-of-factly stated his guilt in the deaths of two men and wounding of another. A jury on Friday found Rittenhouse not guilty on all charges after determining he acted in self-defense during the August 2020 riots in the town where his father lived. Now, say experts, whether Rittenhouse can win damages in civil suits could boil down to whether a jury finds the media's language was defamatory, opinion, or rhetorical hyperbole.-- More...
