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In defamation lawsuit against Beto O'Rourke, lawyers debate whether Kelcy Warren is a public figure
I am glad that Chad Dunn is handling this case for Beto. Chad is the general counsel for the state party and was the driving force behind the lawsuit that largely gutted the Texas voter id law.
Link to tweet
https://www.texastribune.org/2022/12/07/kelcy-warren-beto-orourke-defamation-lawsuit/?utm_campaign=trib-social&utm_content=1670448921&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter
The gubernatorial election is over, but Kelcy Warren’s defamation lawsuit against Beto O’Rourke lives on.
Warren, the Dallas pipeline tycoon, sued O’Rourke in February over accusations he made on the campaign trail that Warren effectively bribed Gov. Greg Abbott with a $1 million contribution following the 2021 power grid collapse. The lawsuit has since been working its way through the legal system, and a state appeals court heard oral arguments Wednesday on O’Rourke’s motion to dismiss it.
Addressing a three-judge panel at the Third Court of Appeals, O’Rourke lawyer Chad Dunn argued that O’Rourke’s scrutiny of the donation was protected by the First Amendment and involved someone who had become a public figure.
“The minute you give $1 million to a gubernatorial candidate in one of the largest states, in Texas, you can expect attention,” Dunn said. “Mr. O’Rourke’s attention was not libel or slander.”.....
Warren’s Energy Transfer Partners reportedly made $2.4 billion off the 2021 winter storm as demand for gas soared. Months later, Warren wrote a $1 million check to Abbott’s reelection campaign once politicians were allowed to start accepting donations again after the legislative session. It was the largest contribution Warren had given to Abbott yet, and O’Rourke repeatedly alleged it amounted to bribery for Abbott to go easy on Warren’s industry after the storm as lawmakers were being pressured to tighten regulations.
Warren, the Dallas pipeline tycoon, sued O’Rourke in February over accusations he made on the campaign trail that Warren effectively bribed Gov. Greg Abbott with a $1 million contribution following the 2021 power grid collapse. The lawsuit has since been working its way through the legal system, and a state appeals court heard oral arguments Wednesday on O’Rourke’s motion to dismiss it.
Addressing a three-judge panel at the Third Court of Appeals, O’Rourke lawyer Chad Dunn argued that O’Rourke’s scrutiny of the donation was protected by the First Amendment and involved someone who had become a public figure.
“The minute you give $1 million to a gubernatorial candidate in one of the largest states, in Texas, you can expect attention,” Dunn said. “Mr. O’Rourke’s attention was not libel or slander.”.....
Warren’s Energy Transfer Partners reportedly made $2.4 billion off the 2021 winter storm as demand for gas soared. Months later, Warren wrote a $1 million check to Abbott’s reelection campaign once politicians were allowed to start accepting donations again after the legislative session. It was the largest contribution Warren had given to Abbott yet, and O’Rourke repeatedly alleged it amounted to bribery for Abbott to go easy on Warren’s industry after the storm as lawmakers were being pressured to tighten regulations.