A newly unsealed court document in the ongoing federal defamation lawsuit brought by Washington Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman and retired Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard against Al Jazeera America and parent Al Jazeera Media Network raises questions about whether ...
Zimmerman and Howard need to (1) prove that the documentary’s claims against them are false and damaged their reputations and (2) meet the “actual malice” standard for public figures in defamation lawsuits. To that end, they must establish that Al Jazeera America knowingly published false and damaging information or possessed reckless disregard for the information’s truth or falsity. In other words, Zimmerman and Howard need to show much more than the documentary was merely wrong and hurtful—they need to show it was recklessly reported.
The documentary also accused a group of NFL players, including Peyton Manning, Clay Matthews and Julius Peppers, of using Delta-2 or Human Growth Hormone—which is only lawful with a physician’s prescription. Al Jazeera America stopped broadcasting in April 2016, though parent Al Jazeera Media Network retains a global reach.