Re: RFK Jr. sued Daily Kos, then ran for president. Neither of these things went well for him

Friend, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s lawsuit against Daily Kos has cost us a lot of money—hundreds of thousands of dollars, in fact. If you've followed the state of the American news media, then you know that this huge cost hit us when we can least afford it. News outlets are getting crushed right now. Ad revenue has cratered and everyone has felt the pinch, even big legacy outlets. This news media-wide trend has hit independent outlets, like Daily Kos, the hardest, though. Simply put, Kennedy's lawsuit could not have come at a worse time. There is one good piece of news here: We can make Kennedy pay—literally. Daily Kos is continuing to fight Kennedy in court to try and recoup the legal expenses he forced upon us. Indeed, a New York appeals court unanimously ruled against Kennedy’s effort to kill our countersuit. Continuing that fight requires us to spend a bit more now, but we want him to pay back everything he's cost us since this fight began. Every penny of it. [Please stand with Daily Kos and make Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pay: Donate $5 now so we have the resources to continue this fight and help us recoup what this suit has cost us.]( [Please Donate]( Thank you, Michael Langenmayr, Daily Kos P.S. I've included Markos' email from Monday on why we've chosen to keep fighting in case you missed it:   Friend, on Friday, anti-vaxxer and conspiracy theorist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. [dropped out]( of the presidential race, a move that his own running mate foreshadowed earlier in the week when she lamented that the ticket would ["draw votes from Trump."]( No surprise then that Kennedy threw his support to Trump as he exited the race. Why should you care about an unserious wannabe spoiler candidate who recently admitted to [dumping a dead bear in Central Park]( Because back in 2021, Kennedy sued Daily Kos to unmask the identity of a pseudonymous member of our community for translating a German news story about a rally at which Kennedy had appeared alongside neo-Nazis. Kennedy's suit hit us at a terrible time. Ad revenue has severely declined over the past few years—not just for Daily Kos, but for news outlets big and small, whether they be print, digital, or broadcast. This frivolous lawsuit became a major expense at the same time our income was plummeting. Just like he quit the race for the presidency, Kennedy tried to have his own suit against us dismissed earlier this year. We refused, though, because we want to make Kennedy pay. Literally. This suit has seriously hurt us financially, so we've continued the legal battle to recoup the expenses that have piled up over the past three years. [Make Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pay for the frivolous lawsuit he brought against Daily Kos—literally! Donate $5 right now so we can continue this fight in court and recoup the costs of this nearly three-year legal battle.]( [Please Donate]( Continuing this fight in court is not simply a matter of recouping attorneys' fees, which are significant. It's also about setting a precedent for protecting anonymous speech. I explained this in full [here](. In short, Kennedy sued us in New York, a state where the "Dendrite standard" that protects anonymous speech is not yet enshrined. Bringing this suit to a successful conclusion would do that. It's become so important that The New York Times, the E.W. Scripps Company, the First Amendment Coalition, New York Public Radio, and seven other New York media companies filed a joint amicus brief in support of us. Simply put, given New York State's position as a mass media hub, this case has become a big f-ing deal. That's why I'm writing to you today. [RFK Jr. is out of the presidential race, but our legal battle with him continues. Can you please donate $5 to help offset the cost of continuing this fight and help us recoup what we've been forced to spend on this once-frivolous suit.]( [Please Donate]( Thank you, Markos Moulitsas, Founder Daily Kos     If you wish to donate by mail instead, please send a check to Daily Kos, PO Box 70036, Oakland, CA, 94612. Contributions to Daily Kos are not tax deductible. This email was sent to {EMAIL}. Don't want to receive these emails anymore? [Unsubscribe]( Daily Kos, Daily Kos 344 20th Street Oakland, CA 94612