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11th Circuit Overturns $8.2M Defamation Verdict Against Roy Moore

4/25/2026

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Summary

Roy Moore Overturn

The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the $8.2 million defamation judgment against chief justice Roy Moore on Friday.
The panel said Moore did not prove actual malice, noting Judge Elizabeth Branch called the Senate Majority PAC’s language at most a negligent error.
Moore’s 2019 libel suit stemmed from a 2017 ad that cited claims he pursued a girl, including a 14-year-old “Santa’s helper” in Gadsden, Alabama, which he denies.

Summary

Senate Majority PAC Wins

The court ruled against Roy Moore, which Ezra Reese, partner at Elias Law Group, called a vindication of Senate Majority PAC.
Reese said the PAC’s TV ad relied on accurate reporting from major national news outlets about the women who came forward.
He described Moore’s lawsuit as an attempt to launder his remaining reputation.
Senate Majority PAC’s counsel called the decision a definitive victory for the group.

Summary

Moore Defeated

Circuit panel of Judges Frank Hull, Jill A. Pryor and Elizabeth L. Branch issued its decision in Moore v. Senate Majority PAC, No. 23-13531, on 4/24/26.
Senate Majority PAC hired Elias Law Group and Dominick Feld Hyde PC.
Moore hired Foundation for Moral Law and Wittenbrink Law Firm.
Moore, an Alabama Supreme Court justice, said the “Santa’s helper” claim stemmed from phrasing, while the committee asserted its fact-checking was truthful.

History

Historical Context

The 1964 Supreme Court ruling in New York Times Co. v. Sullivan set the actual-malice standard for defamation by public officials, overturning a $500,000 judgment from a 1960 civil-rights ad dispute. Relying on that precedent, the 11th U.S. Circuit Court on April 24 2026 dismissed Roy Moore’s $8.2 million libel claim, reaffirming the doctrine’s limit on political-speech lawsuits.

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Roy Moore Overturn

The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the $8.2 million defamation judgment against chief justice Roy Moore on Friday.
The panel said Moore did not prove actual malice, noting Judge Elizabeth Branch called the Senate Majority PAC’s language at most a negligent error.
Moore’s 2019 libel suit stemmed from a 2017 ad that cited claims he pursued a girl, including a 14-year-old “Santa’s helper” in Gadsden, Alabama, which he denies.

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