Does the Trump campaign have standing to sue over defamation against Trump?

Question

The NY Times, the Washington Post and, most recently, CNN, are being sued for defaming Trump. However:

As with the other two cases, this one is being brought on behalf of the campaign, rather than Donald Trump himself as a party.

How can the Trump campaign have standing to sue for Trump? I wouldn't think that they'd have the standing to do it.

Dale M · Accepted Answer · 2020-03-10 03:38:58Z

3

No

But they aren’t suing over defamation against Trump; the are suing over (alleged) defamation of the campaign:

the Campaign "assessed the potential risks and benefits of again seeking Russia's help in 2020 and has decided to leave that option on the table."

answered Mar 10, 2020 at 3:38

Dale M♦

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1

And how is that actionable, since there’s no such thing as group libel?
– jeffronicus
Commented Mar 10, 2020 at 4:34
No doubt there is a corporate legal person that can be identified by “the campaign” - that legal entity can be defamed. Also, the officers of the campaign as the decision makers could have been defamed.
– Dale M ♦
Commented Mar 10, 2020 at 5:48
1

@jeffronicus As Citizens United affirmed (not originated, as many people claim), entities other than natural persons can assert rights.
– Acccumulation
Commented Mar 10, 2020 at 6:10

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