Election Fraud Conspiracies, Social Media Litigation, and a Texas County That Won’t Hand Over Ballots
View this email in your browser ([link removed])
** CfA's April 21, 2023 Newsletter
------------------------------------------------------------
With your support, Campaign for Accountability is working to expose corruption and hold the powerful accountable.
** This Week's Updates:
------------------------------------------------------------
Election Fraud Conspiracies Come Home to Roost
This week, Fox News settled with Dominion Voting Systems for $787.5 million in a defamation lawsuit concerning Fox’s claims of voter fraud during the 2020 election. While this particular case has drawn to a close, a nonprofit called Protect Democracy is still pursuing legal action against organizations and individuals which spread conspiracy theories about the election; defendants include Dinesh D’Souza, The Beltway Pundit, and True the Vote (TTV). In December of 2020, CfA filed an IRS complaint ([link removed]) alleging that TTV had illegally collaborated with the Georgia Republican Party – an arrangement which TTV itself announced in a press release. Now, it seems like the walls may be closing in on organizations like TTV, which singled out voters and poll workers with potentially libelous accusations. TTV has also been sued for defamation by Konnech
([link removed]) , an election technology firm it accused of illegally storing voter data in China.
Why Social Media Companies Don’t Want to be Products
In 2018, Monsanto was forced to pay Dewayne Johnson $289 million after a jury determined that the weedkiller Roundup had caused his terminal cancer. Johnson received that compensation thanks to a successful product liability suit, which held Monsanto responsible for the harm caused by its dangerous product. Social media companies, in an effort to avoid those same payouts, are now attempting ([link removed]) to convince a judge in California that their platforms are not products. Meta, Snap, TikTok, and Google have been flooded with product liability lawsuits from parents who claim that social media addiction has caused measurable harm to their children, ranging from eating disorders to anxiety and depression. These lawsuits take a separate approach from those brought by school districts, which typically ([link removed]) rely
([link removed]) on state public nuisance laws to argue that tech companies have created a mental health crisis which interferes with the function of public education. Whatever way you slice it, Big Tech is in legal trouble, and families will keep finding ways to press charges until these companies face consequences.
Texas County Sues to Block AG’s Request for Old Voting Records
Harris County, Texas, contains the city of Houston and is the third most populous county in the United States. In 2022, Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R) ordered the Harris County DA to open a criminal investigation ([link removed]) into local election officials, in order to review “possible unlawful conduct regarding the handling of paper ballots.” Now, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is attempting to force Harris County ([link removed]) to hand over anonymized completed ballots – a practice which is barred by Texas Election Code until twenty-two months after an election. Paxton, who has served as Attorney General since 2015, has been criticized for his close relationship ([link removed])
with True the Vote (TTV) founder Catherine Engelbrecht. Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee intends to fight the AG’s request, which he describes as a “bad faith reading of the law to appease a certain part of his base.”
** What We're Reading:
------------------------------------------------------------
Crime agencies condemn Facebook and Instagram encryption plans ([link removed])
Roberts asked to testify on court ethics amid Thomas reports ([link removed])
FDA’s new plan to study opioids’ effectiveness faces resistance ([link removed])
** Follow Our Work:
------------------------------------------------------------
We thank you for your continued support. Without people like you, our work would not be possible.
Here is how you can stay involved and help us accomplish our mission:
1. Follow CfA on Twitter ([link removed]) .
2. Follow the Tech Transparency Project on Twitter ([link removed]) .
3. Tell your friends and colleagues ([link removed]) about CfA.
4. Send us a tip ([link removed]) .
5. Make a tax-deductible donation ([link removed]) .
Be on the lookout for more updates about our work in the upcoming weeks. Thanks again for signing up to be a part of CfA!
Sincerely,
Michelle Kuppersmith
Executive Director, Campaign for Accountability
============================================================
** Twitter ([link removed])
** Website ([link removed])
Copyright © 2023 Campaign for Accountability, All rights reserved.
You signed up for this list at campaignforaccountability.org
Our mailing address is:
Campaign for Accountability
611 Pennsylvania Ave SE
#337
Washington, District Of Columbia 20003
USA
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can ** update your preferences ([link removed])
or ** unsubscribe from this list ([link removed])
.
Email Marketing Powered by Mailchimp
[link removed]
