A conservative activist will be able to pursue a libel lawsuit against the Anti-Defamation League after a federal judge in Fort Worth granted three of his four defamation claims.
John Sabal, founder of Texas-based conservative event group The Patriot Voice, alleged the Anti-Defamation League falsely connected him and his business with the far-right conspiracy theory movement QAnon in various publications and asserted he was an “an antisemite and an extremist.”
The Anti-Defamation League — which has a mission to “stop the defamation of the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment to all” — lists Sabal as “QAnon John” under its “Glossary of Extremism and Hate.” On its website, the Anti-Defamation League alleges The Patriot Voice showcases the “mainstreaming of QAnon and other conspiracy theories.”
In a decision dated April 30, Fort Worth-based judge Reed O’Connor with the U.S. Northern District Court of Texas said three of the four claims Sabal made against the league can move forward. One claim — which cited testimony the Anti-Defamation League made to the U.S. House of Representatives — is immune from defamation liability. Absolute privilege grants libel immunity to statements made to attorneys or by witnesses during legislative proceedings.
“We are thrilled that we will get to continue litigating this important case on its merits,” Jason Greaves, an attorney with Binnall Law Group representing Sabal, wrote in a statement. “Mr. Sabal’s name should never have appeared in the ADL’s inflammatory publications, and we look forward to holding ADL accountable for wrongfully smearing Mr. Sabal.”
Nathan Siegal, an attorney with Davis Wright Tremaine LLP, said in an email that the Anti-Defamation League “does not comment on pending litigation.”
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