Judge tosses Laura Loomer's lawsuit, says Bill Maher joke wasn't defamation [View all]

Source: CNN

Judge tosses Laura Loomer's lawsuit, says Bill Maher joke wasn't defamation

By Andrew Kirell
55 min ago
PUBLISHED Apr 22, 2026, 5:00 PM ET


Laura Loomer, a MAGA activist with a direct line to the president, sued HBO and Bill Maher over a joke about her relationship with the president. A judge dismissed the case on Wednesday. (David Dee Delgado/Getty Images)

A federal judge on Wednesday tossed out prominent Trump ally Laura Loomer's defamation lawsuit against Bill Maher and HBO, ruling that the "Real Time" host's joke about her constituted protected speech and not defamation. ... Maher suggested during his September 13, 2024, broadcast that Loomer, a far-right activist with a direct line to President Donald Trump, "might be" in a sexual relationship with Trump.

Loomer sued the late-night comedian and HBO (which is owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, the parent company of CNN) for defamation, alleging the comment lowered her standing within Trump's orbit and cost her a job opportunity. ... In summary judgment, US District Judge James Moody Jr. dismissed the case, ruling that in the full context of the episode, any "reasonable" viewer "would have understood" that Maher was making a joke, and not a statement of fact.

In a statement to CNN, Loomer blasted the ruling as "factually and legally wrong," arguing that Maher's comment was "no joke" and insisting the decision was "totally dishonest and misogynistic" in nature. She vowed to appeal.

The judge found that Loomer -- whom the court treated as a public figure -- failed to show "actual malice," the bar required to prove defamation under First Amendment law. Given the intense media speculation at the time around Loomer's proximity to Trump, the judge said there was no evidence Maher knowingly made a false statement.

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Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2026/04/22/media/laura-loomer-bill-maher-hbo-defamation-lawsuit-dismissed

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******
Eked Out Another Popehat
‪@kenwhite.bsky.social‬

Death, taxes, and Larry Klayman losing cases.

‪Kyle Cheney‬
‪@kyledcheney.bsky.social‬
· 27m

JUST IN: A federal judge has thrown out @LauraLoomer's lawsuit against Bill Maher for comments he made about a potential sexual relationship with Donald Trump.

They were obvious jokes, the judge ruled, not statements of fact.
https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.flmd.434676/gov.uscourts.flmd.434676.194.0.pdf

5:40 PM · Apr 22, 2026
******

Death, taxes, and Larry Klayman losing cases.

— Eked Out Another Popehat (@kenwhite.bsky.social) 2026-04-22T21:40:45.161Z

******
Kyle Cheney
‪@kyledcheney.bsky.social‬

JUST IN: A federal judge has thrown out @LauraLoomer's lawsuit against Bill Maher for comments he made about a potential sexual relationship with Donald Trump.

They were obvious jokes, the judge ruled, not statements of fact.
https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.flmd.434676/gov.uscourts.flmd.434676.194.0.pdf

5:35 PM · Apr 22, 2026
******

JUST IN: A federal judge has thrown out @LauraLoomer's lawsuit against Bill Maher for comments he made about a potential sexual relationship with Donald Trump.

They were obvious jokes, the judge ruled, not statements of fact. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney.bsky.social) 2026-04-22T21:35:38.856Z