Big Coal Goes After HBO Host For Defamation

A coal company is suing HBO and its ”Last Week Tonight” host John Oliver, claiming the comedian and political commentator defamed them on air.

Coal titan Murray Energy called last Sunday’s show — which critiqued the Trump administration’s efforts to revive the struggling industry — a “false and malicious broadcast” in newly filed court papers.

The Ohio company is seeking financial damages, and requesting a court order that bars the segment from being rebroadcast.

The provocative segment needled Murray Energy CEO Robert Murray — wi th Oliver saying the 77-year-old tycoon looked like a “geriatric Dr. Evil” — while noting his company had battled coal safety regulations. The talk show host also mentioned Murray’s litigious past, including a suit he filed against the New York Times last month for libel.

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