Coal CEO’s defamation lawsuit against John Oliver is dismissed

The segment that spawned a lawsuit. "Coal: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)"

A West Virginia judge dismissed a defamation lawsuit filed by coal giant Murray Energy Corporation and its CEO Robert Murray against Last Week Tonight host John Oliver after the HBO show ran a segment criticizing Murray and the coal industry in general.

In a brief memo filed last week, the judge wrote that he thought lawyers for HBO and Oliver put forth "well-founded" and "appropriate" arguments to dismiss the case. The lawsuit was dismissed with prejudice, preventing Murray and his company from re-litigating the matter in the same court. Murray Energy confirmed in a Sunday statement that it would appeal the decision to the West Virginia Supreme Court.

The suit was filed after a June 2017 episode of Last Week Tonight in which Oliver said of Murray:

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