Mark Robinson Amends CNN Lawsuit, Removes $50M Figure

Source: The Washington Post / Getty

Well, it looks like Lt. Governor Mark Robinson is amending his defamation lawsuit against CNN and a Greensboro man who claimed that Robinson watched and purchased porn decades ago.

WRAL reports that lawyers for the GOP gubernatorial candidate filed the amended complaint on Monday, removing Robinson’s original ask for $50 million in damages. Instead, Robinson is asking for an amount in excess of $25,000.

The modification does not change what he could receive or is seeking in compensatory, punitive, or special damages. Instead, the $25K is a placeholder to have the case heard in Wake County Superior Court instead of district court. That will make sure that a possible trial would have a jury that could decide the final amount of damages.

RELATED: NC Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson Sues CNN Over ‘Black Nazi’ Report While Trailing Badly In Governor’s Race

The original complaint, filed on Oct.15, claims that the stories were designed to harm Robinson’s campaign.

CNN published a story on Sept. 19 that Robinson posted derogatory comments on an adult entertainment website more than a decade ago before Robinson entered politics. Using a screen name, Robinson allegedly referred to himself as a “Black Nazi” and called for the reinstatement of slavery.

The complaint also alleges that CNN didn’t attempt to verify the posts, make contact with the website’s owner, or take into account that the site used outdated software that was “highly vulnerable.”

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Meanwhile, Greensboro native Louis Money is also mentioned in the complaint for sharing his story with The Assembly and other media outlets. Money said that Robinson often visited his porn shop, located next door to a pizza shop where Robinson worked.

Robinson denies spending hours at the video store, saying that he only brought over pizza occasionally and socialized with Money.

Money is asking the court to dismiss the defamation case. CNN has declined comment in the past, and the owner of the adult website has not responded.