Marc Elias' Legal Team Threatens Media With Lawsuit For Questioning Roy Cooper's Health

What happened: Marc Elias' legal team sent a cease-and-desist letter to the North State Journal threatening a defamation lawsuit on behalf of Roy Cooper, the Democratic Senate nominee, over questions about his health. Key numbers: Cooper is 69 years old. The Journal emailed the campaign nine times this year; all but two went unanswered. The letter cites Jarman v. Why it matters: The article argues the threat is legally weak because Cooper is a public figure who would need to prove actual malice, and that the aggressive approach drew national coverage of the issue instead of suppressing it.

Marc Elias' legal team sent a cease-and-desist letter to the North State Journal threatening a defamation lawsuit on behalf of Roy Cooper, the Democratic Senate nominee, over questions about his health.

The article argues the threat is legally weak because Cooper is a public figure who would need to prove actual malice, and that the aggressive approach drew national coverage of the issue instead of suppressing it.