Climate scientist Michael Mann’s defamation lawsuit moves forward

Ars Technica : Last year, the Pennsylvania State University was accused of covering up malfeasance by faculty member Michael Mann. Mann is the climate scientist best known for publicizing the “hockey stick” graph, a plot of global average temperature for the past 1500 years. In response, Mann filed a defamation lawsuit against the Competitive Enterprise Institute and National Review, the sources of the fraud accusations. The two groups filed motions to have the case dismissed on two grounds: that the lawsuit violates legislation designed to protect legitimate critics, and that it doesn’t meet the higher standards set for defamation of public figures such as Mann. However, a judge has now denied both dismissal motions and allowed the suit to move into discovery, where both sides will attempt to gain evidence to support or oppose the lawsuit. The next hearing date is in September, but it is unclear when, or even if, the case will go to trial.