In a case brought by climate scientist Michael Man in which a jury found two writers liable for defamation, the District of Columbia Superior Court denied Mann’s motion to reconsider the court’s March 2025 order granting in part the two defendants’ motions for sanctions for “bad faith litigation tactics.” The conduct related to Mann’s attorneys’ use at trial of a demonstrative regarding the amount of losses attributable to the defendants’ defamatory statements. The demonstrative included the amount of $9,713,924.00, when the correct amount was $112,000. The court said that Mann and his attorneys “provided no explanation why they prepared a demonstrative that contained incorrect figures to be used at trial, when they could have very well prepared a demonstrative with the correct figures.” The court found that the attorneys’ explanations for the use of the demonstrative, including that they knew the defendants would make corrections during re-cross examination, “strain credulity”; the court also found that Mann was “ultimately responsible for the conduct of the litigation of his case and it was his responsibility to ensure that the facts of his case were presented truthfully and straightforwardly.” The court ordered Mann to pay one of the defendants $16,762.82 in fees, costs, and fees on fees, and the other defendant $11,404.80.

Defamation action brought by climate scientist against authors and publishers of articles about scientist's work.

Mann v. National Review, Inc.

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Court Ordered Climate Scientist Michael Mann to Pay Sanctions for “Bad Faith Litigation Conduct”

Filed

United States of America

District of Columbia

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Court Ordered Climate Scientist Michael Mann to Pay Sanctions for “Bad Faith Litigation Conduct”

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