Anti-Muslim activist Laura Loomer, who is currently pursuing elected office in Florida, utterly failed in her attempt to sue the Council on American-Islamic Relations. On Monday, the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida dismissed the remainder of Loomer’s lawsuit against the organization on the basis that it "fail[ed] as a matter of law” and was “nonsensical.”
In April, Loomer announced that she had filed a lawsuit against CAIR, CAIR Florida, and Twitter in a Florida court based on the false allegation that CAIR had instigated Loomer’s permanent ban from Twitter; Loomer was actually banned because she repeatedly violated the site’s rules against hateful conduct. As Right Wing Watch reported in January, Loomer had been duped by internet pranksters after her Twitter suspension into believing that the Muslim civil rights group had orchestrated her ban, and the false claim was later printed in the Wall Street Journal.
Regardless, Loomer proceeded to solicit cash from her followers, ostensibly to fund her lawsuit. Right Wing Watch emailed Loomer asking what she planned to do with the money she raised for her lawsuit and if she was at any time under the impression that her lawsuit was going to be successful. Right Wing Watch did not receive a response.
The same Florida court dismissed part of Loomer's lawsuit last month after Loomer failed to demonstrate any wrongdoing by CAIR Florida. The court ruled that Loomer’s allegations against the state organization were "insufficient to state any colorable claim.” On Monday, Loomer's remaining allegation against CAIR national was dismissed after the court found that Loomer had failed to demonstrate she ever had a “business relationship” with Twitter and therefore could not demonstrate—even if the court were to assume that all of Loomer’s other presented facts were true—any legal rights Loomer would be entitled to by her “decision to use Twitter.”
“Plaintiffs’ suggestion that the mere reporting of a Twitter user—however insistent such reporting may be—is sufficient to constitute tortious interference in a business relationship between Twitter and the targeted user is, to put it mildly, nonsensical,” the court order reads.
Additionally, Loomer's lawyer Ron Coleman had appeared in court by phone instead of in person, CAIR trial attorney Carolyn Homer mentioned to Right Wing Watch in a phone interview.
In a press release sent by CAIR on Wednesday, CAIR trial attorney Justin Sadowsky stated, “Loomer sued CAIR because Twitter banned her for being an Islamophobe, but two pranksters convinced her that the ban was some sort of Muslim conspiracy between CAIR and Twitter. In any event, CAIR is not legally liable for Twitter’s decision to ban her.”
Nathan Bernard, one of the pranksters involved, filed an affidavit in the suit and swore under the penalty of perjury that Right Wing Watch’s original reporting on the matter was entirely accurate.
“Laura is an anti-Muslim conspiracy theorist that runs shameful scams like this lawsuit to raise money for whatever her next scheme is, which in this instance is running for US congress," Bernard told Right Wing Watch via text message. "I strongly hope she fails in all her future endeavors and am genuinely sorry that CAIR had to spend even a second of time on this nonsense.”
"Today's victory is not just for CAIR against a conspiracy theorist, but is also a victory for all internet users who flag objectionable, hate-filled content for moderation," Homer stated.
