Nicholas Sandmann, a Covington Catholic High School who went viral after he came face-to-face with Native American activist and Vietnam War veteran Nathan Phillips on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, has settled his $275 million lawsuit with CNN.
Sandmann claimed CNN “falsely vilified” him while pushing their anti-Trump agenda, according to reports. The amount of the settlement was not disclosed.
The lawsuit against CNN stated: “CNN brought down the full force of its corporate power, influence, and wealth on Nicholas by falsely attacking, vilifying, and bullying him despite the fact that he was a minor child.”
The student was attacked online with many social media activists labeling Sandmann and his peers “racist”, despite what the full context of the video showed.
Sandmann, who was a junior at the time, and his family still have lawsuits pending against NBC Universal and the Washington Post for their inaccurate coverage of the incident.
In the initial clip that was shared online, it appeared that Sandmann and others — who were wearing red “Make America Great Again” hats — were mocking Phillips, who was beating on a drum after participating in the Indigenous Peoples March last Friday.
Sandmann immediately began defending himself.
According to Sandmann, and a nearly two-hour video that shows a broader picture of the incident, he and the Covington Catholic High School students were being harassed by a group identifying themselves as the Black Hebrew Israelites. You can watch the full video here.
In the video you can hear the students, who were reportedly waiting for a bus to pick them up, being bombarded with insults like “inbred” and “future school shooters,” while there were also some homophobic slurs calling the kids “f*ggots.”
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