Federal Judge Dismisses Stefan Passantino Defamation Suit Against Andrew Weissmann
Federal Judge Loren AliKhan dismissed Stefan Passantino's defamation suit against former federal prosecutor Andrew Weissmann in federal court on Monday, September 21, 2026, granting judgment on the pleadings and ending the case.[1]
AliKhan found that testimony from Jan. 6 gave Weissmann reasonable grounds to say Passantino had "coached" Cassidy Hutchinson to lie, which defeated the negligence element of the defamation claim.[1] The suit grew out of a September 2023 post on X in which Weissmann contrasted Hutchinson's "good lawyer" with "the one who coached her to lie." MS NOW
Cassidy Hutchinson testified during her Jan. 6 appearance that Passantino told her "the less you remember, the better" and that saying she did not recall was an acceptable answer.[1] She also said he did not explicitly tell her to lie.[1]
By granting judgment on the pleadings, AliKhan resolved the dispute without a trial and barred Passantino's claim from moving forward.[1]
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📌 Key Facts
- On Monday, September 21, 2026, Judge Loren AliKhan dismissed Passantino’s defamation suit against Andrew Weissmann by granting judgment on the pleadings.
- AliKhan held that Hutchinson’s Jan. 6 testimony gave Weissmann reasonable grounds to state that Passantino had 'coached' her to lie, defeating the negligence element.
- The suit was based on a September 2023 X post where Weissmann contrasted Hutchinson’s 'good lawyer' with 'the one who coached her to lie.'
- Hutchinson testified Passantino told her the 'less you remember, the better' and that saying she did not recall was an acceptable answer, though he did not explicitly tell her to lie.
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