SAN FRANCISCO, July 22, 2021 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Shahid Buttar, a progressive activist, constitutional lawyer, and two-time candidate to represent California’s 12th congressional district, today filed a defamation lawsuit against the San Francisco Chronicle. The complaint (#3:21-cv-05566, filed with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California) alleges that the Chronicle demonstrated reckless disregard for the truth and malice.
“The Constitution permits the press wide latitude to cover public figures,” said Buttar. “But with great power comes great responsibility. The truth — especially in the context of an election for federal office — is too important to be silenced.”
On July 22, 2020, the Chronicle ran an article (in its print edition) under the headline, “Shahid Buttar, Nancy Pelosi’s Election Opponent, Accused of Sex Harassment.” The article was based on a self-published essay in which Buttar was accused of sexual harassment.
Beyond addressing the impacts on the subject of the Chronicle’s stories, the lawsuit also aims to vindicate an alleged attack on election integrity, which suffers anytime newspapers unethically publish false information about candidates.
Shahid for Change is the campaign to elect Shahid Buttar, a Pakistani-American constitutional lawyer challenging House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for her seat in California’s 12th congressional district.
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SOURCE Shahid Buttar for Congress
