Appeals court sides with Donald Trump Jr. in defamation lawsuit by Don Blankenship

Richmond, VA (AP) – A federal court has rejected an appeal from former coal executive Don Blankenship, who argued that Donald Trump Jr. Defamed him by calling him a “felon.” 

The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals left in place a lower court ruling in West Virginia against Blankenship.  

The former coal CEO served a year in prison on a misdemeanor charge of conspiring to violate safety standards before a 2010 mine explosion that killed 29 men.  

Blankenship sued the son of then-President Donald Trump after Donald Trump Jr. posted the comment on social media in May 2018.  

The appeals court found that Donald Trump Jr. didn’t publish his statement with actual malice.