Defamation Suit Against Russell Westbrook Thrown Out
Remember back in March 2019 when Russell Westbrook threatened to put hands on a heckler and his wife at a Utah Jazz game? Following the incident, the heckler, Shane Keisel, got banned from Jazz games for life, fired from his job, and kicked out of a pilot training program in which he was enrolled.
Keisel — an army veteran — and his wife, Jennifer Huff, sued Westbrook in December 2019 for defamation, claiming that he painted Keisel as racist and homophobic. They were seeking $100 million in damages.
Unfortunately for them, the lawsuit was thrown out by a judge yesterday, who explained that Westbrook’s remarks were opinion and not defamation, and that his threats were not extreme enough to recover damages.
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