Politics - News Analysis

WATCH: Kyle Rittenhouse Says He’s Suing LeBron James for Defamation: ‘He’ll Be Getting a Letter’

We do this a lot, but it’s always a great reminder. Court proceedings are highly technical and it’s critical that one keep the findings accurate in one’s head. Neither juries nor prosecutors “find” people innocent. We are all “presumed innocent,” but winning a trial as a defendant doesn’t “prove” one’s innocence, it proves that the presumption (as opposed to fact) held. The prosecution could not prove guilt. Either it didn’t have sufficient evidence, or it had a lot of evidence and the jury interpreted it differently than the prosecutors.

Generally speaking, juries take their duties very seriously and it’s best to trust their judgment until someone proves there was something wrong, such as rampant racism, or a conflict, something like that. Most juries, in most cases, take the duty solemnly and do their best.

When one looks at the Rittenhouse’s pre-trial rulings by the judge, it would be very hard for a jury to find him guilty. I could easily see myself voting “Not Guilty” based on the evidence in that crime. It doesn’t matter that I don’t think he was honestly crying. And it doesn’t matter that I don’t like him and I think he went there looking for something “to do.” On that evidence, it would be tough.

Speaking of which, LeBron James didn’t believe that Rittenhouse was really crying, either, who – after the tears, said:

“What tears????? I didn’t see one. Man knock it off! That boy ate some lemon heads before walking into court.”

That is an opinion and a half-joke. It is not defamation. And yet, in a statement that almost proves that Rittenhouse is looking to shake down some MAGA money, he’s promised that he’s “sending a letter” (the first step in a lawsuit) to LeBron James. That ought to be worth at least $20K right there, if not much more. From Mediaite:

[LeBron] will be getting a letter, too. Anybody who defamed me, or lied about me, we’re just going to send them a letter and then deal with them in a courtroom.”

He needs to read the definition of defamation, carefully, and then maybe ask someone to expand upon it. Saying mean things, even lying, isn’t necessarily defamation.

He has a much better case against Whoopi Goldberg, who – once again, shot her mouth off without really knowing what she was saying (and we want to love Whoopi, we do love Whoopi in a lot of ways but damn, she makes it hard sometimes). Again, according to Mediaite:

The teen also intends to go after Whoopi Goldberg and Cenk Uygur.

On Goldberg, Rittenhouse recently said, “She called me a murderer after I was acquitted by a jury of my peers.”

If she did, that might be defamation. Again, murder is a legal term of art. Rittenhouse committed homicide, he killed people. But not all homicide is illegal. One is allowed to defend their own life with the same amount of force they face. Rittenhouse’s jury found that his homicide was not “murder.” Whoopi could have called Rittenhouse a killer, or a shooter, but saying he was a murderer is a lie in that he had been acquitted. Whoopi may say there are two definitions of murderer, one formal and one informal. She may win. We know Kyle has no case against LeBron. He may have a case against Whoopi. We will see. Maybe. Rittenhouse may want to make most of his money off the MAGAs, asking for legal help, he may or may not get it.

The article doesn’t say what Cenk said, but it really doesn’t matter. It is quite apparent that Rittenhouse doesn’t really know what he’s talking about (it doesn’t cost a lot of money to write a letter and, most attorneys will do it for free if you have a decent case). He may have a case against Whoopi, but – again, most attorneys will take these cases on a contingency fee, leaving the risk up to them… if they believe it’s a good case.

Or, Kyle doesn’t plan on doing anything but sending letters. But he would love to farm $100K in MAGA money. After all, he’s fighting to keep that $2 million in bail money. That money came from regular people who believed in his cause and wanted him out of jail in preparation for trial. He was out of jail and not going back. There is no reason that he should keep the money. Some of those donators may need that money.

Grifter.

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meet the author

Jason Miciak is a political writer, features writer, author, and attorney. He is originally from Canada but grew up in the Pacific Northwest. He now enjoys life as a single dad raising a ridiculously-loved young girl on the beaches of the Gulf Coast. He is very much the dreamy mystic, a day without learning is a day not lived. He is passionate about his flower pots and studies philosophical science, religion, and non-mathematical principles of theoretical physics. Dogs, pizza, and love are proof that God exists. "Above all else, love one another."

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