An appeals court Wednesday upheld the dismissal of an Islamic charity's defamation lawsuit against six news organizations and eight journalists, all of whom had reported the charity was under investigation for possible terrorist ties. The U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals brushed aside claims by Global Relief Foundation that there were serious doubts about whether the government could prove it had ever supported terrorism. The news organizations, including The Associated Press, never wrote Global Relief had ties to terrorism, but that it was under investigation for possible ties. "Whether the government was justified in its probe is irrelevant to the defamation claims when these media defendants accurately reported on the investigation, itself," Judge Ilana Diamond Rovner wrote in her opinion.
In dismissing the suit in February 2003, Judge David Coar cited an affidavit signed by an FBI agent saying the government was investigating Global Relief for "its possible ties to terrorist organizations, including al-Qaida, and its possible support of terrorist activities." He cited a similar statement by an official with the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control, saying Global Relief had been under investigation for possible terrorist ties at least since September 2001. Global Relief attorney Roger Simmons said he hadn't seen the opinion yet, but added: "I am disappointed."
| There goes your big payday |
Global Relief has consistently denied it supports terrorism, saying that it raises funds for Muslim charities around the world. | That's what they all say, just before they plead guilty |
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