Appeals Court Vacates Roy Moore's $8.2 Million Defamation Judgment
The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals this week overturned Roy Moore's $8.2 million defamation judgment against the Democratic-aligned Senate Majority PAC, ruling he failed to prove the political ad defamed him (MS NOW).
A federal jury had awarded Moore $8.2 million in August 2022, including $200,000 in compensatory damages and $8 million in punitive damages (MS NOW). The appeals panel said Moore did not show actual malice, the legal standard requiring proof defendants knew a statement was false or recklessly disregarded its truth (MS NOW).
The episode traces back to Moore's 2017 U.S. Senate campaign when news reports published allegations that multiple women accused him of sexual misconduct. Nine women later went public with allegations, including claims he pursued relationships with teenagers and initiated sexual contact with a 14-year-old. During the final weeks of the campaign, a Senate Majority PAC ad cited those reports and said Moore was banned from a mall for soliciting young girls, noting one he approached was 14. Moore sued the PAC and others in November 2019, and a federal jury found the ad defamatory in August 2022.
Supporters of the PAC hailed the appeals decision as a First Amendment win, while critics said it left open questions about accountability in political advertising. Social posts celebrated the reversal and noted that the court concluded Moore had not proved the malice required to sustain his defamation claim.
Supporters of the Senate Majority PAC have celebrated the appeals court's decision as a significant affirmation of First Amendment rights, with legal expert @EWess92 noting that the reversal hinged on Moore's inability to demonstrate actual malice, a crucial standard in defamation cases. This ruling has reignited discussions around the actual malice standard established in New York Times v. Sullivan, with some commentators, like David A. Logan in the UCLA Law Review Discourse, advocating for its reform in light of the digital age's challenges in combating misinformation.
However, the ruling has also drawn criticism regarding accountability in political advertising. As highlighted by @marceelias, the implications of this decision may leave voters questioning the veracity of political claims, especially in a polarized environment where perceptions of sexual misconduct are deeply divided along partisan lines. This tension reflects broader societal debates about the intersection of free speech and the responsibility of political entities to ensure truthful discourse, especially in campaigns that address sensitive issues like sexual violence.
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📊 Relevant Data
Nine women publicly accused Roy Moore of sexual misconduct during his 2017 Senate campaign, including allegations of pursuing romantic relationships with teenagers and initiating sexual contact with a 14-year-old girl. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Moore_sexual_misconduct_allegations)) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Moore_sexual_misconduct_allegations)) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Moore_sexual_misconduct_allegations)) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Moore_sexual_misconduct_allegations)) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Moore_sexual_misconduct_allegations)) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Moore_sexual_misconduct_allegations)) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Moore_sexual_misconduct_allegations)) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Moore_sexual_misconduct_allegations)) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Moore_sexual_misconduct_allegations)) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Moore_sexual_misconduct_allegations)) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Moore_sexual_misconduct_allegations)) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Moore_sexual_misconduct_allegations)) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Moore_sexual_misconduct_allegations)) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Moore_sexual_misconduct_allegations)) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Moore_sexual_misconduct_allegations)) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Moore_sexual_misconduct_allegations)) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Moore_sexual_misconduct_allegations)) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Moore_sexual_misconduct_allegations)) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Moore_sexual_misconduct_allegations)) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Moore_sexual_misconduct_allegations)) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Moore_sexual_misconduct_allegations)) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Moore_sexual_misconduct_allegations)) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Moore_sexual_misconduct_allegations)) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Moore_sexual_misconduct_allegations)) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Moore_sexual_misconduct_allegations)) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Moore_sexual_misconduct_allegations)) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Moore_sexual_misconduct_allegations)) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Moore_sexual_misconduct_allegations)) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Moore_sexual_misconduct_allegations)) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Moore_sexual_misconduct_allegations)) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Moore_sexual_misconduct_allegations)) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Moore_sexual_misconduct_allegations))
Roy Moore sexual misconduct allegations — Wikipedia
The disputed Senate Majority PAC ad included the statement: 'Moore was actually banned from the Gadsden Mall ... for soliciting sex from young girls. One he approached was 14 and working as Santa's helper.' ([The New Yorker](https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-the-south/roy-moore-was-banned-from-the-mall-but-won-his-defamation-suit)) ([The New Yorker](https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-the-south/roy-moore-was-banned-from-the-mall-but-won-his-defamation-suit)) ([The New Yorker](https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-the-south/roy-moore-was-banned-from-the-mall-but-won-his-defamation-suit)) ([The New Yorker](https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-the-south/roy-moore-was-banned-from-the-mall-but-won-his-defamation-suit)) ([The New Yorker](https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-the-south/roy-moore-was-banned-from-the-mall-but-won-his-defamation-suit)) ([The New Yorker](https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-the-south/roy-moore-was-banned-from-the-mall-but-won-his-defamation-suit)) ([The New Yorker](https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-the-south/roy-moore-was-banned-from-the-mall-but-won-his-defamation-suit)) ([The New Yorker](https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-the-south/roy-moore-was-banned-from-the-mall-but-won-his-defamation-suit)) ([The New Yorker](https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-the-south/roy-moore-was-banned-from-the-mall-but-won-his-defamation-suit)) ([The New Yorker](https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-the-south/roy-moore-was-banned-from-the-mall-but-won-his-defamation-suit)) ([The New Yorker](https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-the-south/roy-moore-was-banned-from-the-mall-but-won-his-defamation-suit)) ([The New Yorker](https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-the-south/roy-moore-was-banned-from-the-mall-but-won-his-defamation-suit)) ([The New Yorker](https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-the-south/roy-moore-was-banned-from-the-mall-but-won-his-defamation-suit)) ([The New Yorker](https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-the-south/roy-moore-was-banned-from-the-mall-but-won-his-defamation-suit)) ([The New Yorker](https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-the-south/roy-moore-was-banned-from-the-mall-but-won-his-defamation-suit)) ([The New Yorker](https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-the-south/roy-moore-was-banned-from-the-mall-but-won-his-defamation-suit)) ([The New Yorker](https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-the-south/roy-moore-was-banned-from-the-mall-but-won-his-defamation-suit)) ([The New Yorker](https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-the-south/roy-moore-was-banned-from-the-mall-but-won-his-defamation-suit)) ([The New Yorker](https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-the-south/roy-moore-was-banned-from-the-mall-but-won-his-defamation-suit)) ([The New Yorker](https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-the-south/roy-moore-was-banned-from-the-mall-but-won-his-defamation-suit)) ([The New Yorker](https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-the-south/roy-moore-was-banned-from-the-mall-but-won-his-defamation-suit)) ([The New Yorker](https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-the-south/roy-moore-was-banned-from-the-mall-but-won-his-defamation-suit)) ([The New Yorker](https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-the-south/roy-moore-was-banned-from-the-mall-but-won-his-defamation-suit)) ([The New Yorker](https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-the-south/roy-moore-was-banned-from-the-mall-but-won-his-defamation-suit)) ([The New Yorker](https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-the-south/roy-moore-was-banned-from-the-mall-but-won-his-defamation-suit)) ([The New Yorker](https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-the-south/roy-moore-was-banned-from-the-mall-but-won-his-defamation-suit)) ([The New Yorker](https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-the-south/roy-moore-was-banned-from-the-mall-but-won-his-defamation-suit)) ([The New Yorker](https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-the-south/roy-moore-was-banned-from-the-mall-but-won-his-defamation-suit)) ([The New Yorker](https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-the-south/roy-moore-was-banned-from-the-mall-but-won-his-defamation-suit)) ([The New Yorker](https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-the-south/roy-moore-was-banned-from-the-mall-but-won-his-defamation-suit)) ([The New Yorker](https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-the-south/roy-moore-was-banned-from-the-mall-but-won-his-defamation-suit)) ([The New Yorker](https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-the-south/roy-moore-was-banned-from-the-mall-but-won-his-defamation-suit))
Roy Moore Was Banned from the Mall but Won His Defamation Suit — The New Yorker
In the 2022 trial, a federal jury awarded Roy Moore $8.2 million, consisting of $200,000 in compensatory damages and $8 million in punitive damages, finding the PAC's ad defamatory. ([NPR](https://www.npr.org/2022/08/13/1117365135/roy-moore-defamation-suit-award-super-pac)) ([NPR](https://www.npr.org/2022/08/13/1117365135/roy-moore-defamation-suit-award-super-pac)) ([NPR](https://www.npr.org/2022/08/13/1117365135/roy-moore-defamation-suit-award-super-pac)) ([NPR](https://www.npr.org/2022/08/13/1117365135/roy-moore-defamation-suit-award-super-pac)) ([NPR](https://www.npr.org/2022/08/13/1117365135/roy-moore-defamation-suit-award-super-pac)) ([NPR](https://www.npr.org/2022/08/13/1117365135/roy-moore-defamation-suit-award-super-pac)) ([NPR](https://www.npr.org/2022/08/13/1117365135/roy-moore-defamation-suit-award-super-pac)) ([NPR](https://www.npr.org/2022/08/13/1117365135/roy-moore-defamation-suit-award-super-pac)) ([NPR](https://www.npr.org/2022/08/13/1117365135/roy-moore-defamation-suit-award-super-pac)) ([NPR](https://www.npr.org/2022/08/13/1117365135/roy-moore-defamation-suit-award-super-pac)) ([NPR](https://www.npr.org/2022/08/13/1117365135/roy-moore-defamation-suit-award-super-pac)) ([NPR](https://www.npr.org/2022/08/13/1117365135/roy-moore-defamation-suit-award-super-pac)) ([NPR](https://www.npr.org/2022/08/13/1117365135/roy-moore-defamation-suit-award-super-pac)) ([NPR](https://www.npr.org/2022/08/13/1117365135/roy-moore-defamation-suit-award-super-pac)) ([NPR](https://www.npr.org/2022/08/13/1117365135/roy-moore-defamation-suit-award-super-pac)) ([NPR](https://www.npr.org/2022/08/13/1117365135/roy-moore-defamation-suit-award-super-pac)) ([NPR](https://www.npr.org/2022/08/13/1117365135/roy-moore-defamation-suit-award-super-pac)) ([NPR](https://www.npr.org/2022/08/13/1117365135/roy-moore-defamation-suit-award-super-pac)) ([NPR](https://www.npr.org/2022/08/13/1117365135/roy-moore-defamation-suit-award-super-pac)) ([NPR](https://www.npr.org/2022/08/13/1117365135/roy-moore-defamation-suit-award-super-pac)) ([NPR](https://www.npr.org/2022/08/13/1117365135/roy-moore-defamation-suit-award-super-pac)) ([NPR](https://www.npr.org/2022/08/13/1117365135/roy-moore-defamation-suit-award-super-pac)) ([NPR](https://www.npr.org/2022/08/13/1117365135/roy-moore-defamation-suit-award-super-pac)) ([NPR](https://www.npr.org/2022/08/13/1117365135/roy-moore-defamation-suit-award-super-pac)) ([NPR](https://www.npr.org/2022/08/13/1117365135/roy-moore-defamation-suit-award-super-pac)) ([NPR](https://www.npr.org/2022/08/13/1117365135/roy-moore-defamation-suit-award-super-pac)) ([NPR](https://www.npr.org/2022/08/13/1117365135/roy-moore-defamation-suit-award-super-pac)) ([NPR](https://www.npr.org/2022/08/13/1117365135/roy-moore-defamation-suit-award-super-pac)) ([NPR](https://www.npr.org/2022/08/13/1117365135/roy-moore-defamation-suit-award-super-pac)) ([NPR](https://www.npr.org/2022/08/13/1117365135/roy-moore-defamation-suit-award-super-pac)) ([NPR](https://www.npr.org/2022/08/13/1117365135/roy-moore-defamation-suit-award-super-pac)) ([NPR](https://www.npr.org/2022/08/13/1117365135/roy-moore-defamation-suit-award-super-pac))
📌 Key Facts
- The 11th Circuit issued a 45-page opinion overturning Roy Moore’s $8.2 million defamation award on April 24, 2026.
- The court ruled Moore did not prove actual malice by Senate Majority PAC in a 2017 ad citing misconduct allegations.
- Judge Elizabeth Branch wrote that the evidence showed, at most, a negligent error in the ad’s wording.
- Moore sued the PAC in 2019 over an ad suggesting he pursued a sexual encounter with a 14-year-old girl during his 2017 Senate campaign.
- Moore’s lawyer is weighing a petition to the U.S. Supreme Court, while the PAC called the decision a complete vindication.
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