Scottie Pippen’s Defamation Lawsuit Gets Rejected By Supreme Court

On Monday, the Supreme Court rejected an attempt to revive a defamation lawsuit filed by former Chicago Bulls player Scottie Pippen against media outlets that falsely reported he filed for bankruptcy....
Scottie Pippen’s Defamation Lawsuit Gets Rejected By Supreme Court
Written by Val Powell

On Monday, the Supreme Court rejected an attempt to revive a defamation lawsuit filed by former Chicago Bulls player Scottie Pippen against media outlets that falsely reported he filed for bankruptcy.

In 2011, Pippen sued CBS Interactive Inc., NBC Universal Media LLC, and other large media companies, seeking $10 million in damages. Pippen’s camp called out the media companies for their “sloppy conduct” in writing about Pippen’s bankruptcy filing.

However, the lower courts dismissed the lawsuit, since they said that Pippen is a public figure and he could not prove that the media outlets reported his bankruptcy with actual malice. The court was looking for evidence that the media reported the news knowing that it was false information, and Pippen could not provide the evidence.

Pippen, on the other hand, claimed that the media companies refused to take down the news even after telling them that there was no truth to it.

In 2011, there were reports of Pippen’s irresponsible spending. One really big blunder he made was purchasing a jet that did not work. He spent $4 million for the jet, and another $1 million to have it fixed. Reports also indicate that Pippen wasted a lot of his money from his basketball days on bad investments.

CNBC also placed Pippen in an article entitled “15 Athletes Gone Bankrupt.” They reported that Pippen lost $120 million of his career earnings due to his spending.

Sources said that Pippen has gone through financial hardships since his retirement from professional basketball in 2005. Much of the financial loss can be attributed to bad advice from his legal and financial advisers.

Pippen is considered one of the best small forwards in NBA history. He played an instrumental role in helping the Chicago Bulls win six NBA titles between 1991 – 1998. He also helped the Bulls set a record 72 wins in the 1995-1996 regular season.

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