A judge has ordered Herring Networks, owner of One America News Network (OAN), to pay $250,000 in Rachel Maddow and MSNBC's legal fees following a failed defamation suit, Law&Crime reported.
U.S. District Judge Cynthia Bashant, an Obama appointee, last year dismissed Herring Networks lawsuits with prejudice, deciding there were "no set of facts that could support a claim for defamation based on Maddow's statement."
Lawyers for MSNBC and Maddow countersued under California's Anti-Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation statute.
"This ruling reflects that One America News’ lawsuit is totally baseless, and we expect to continue to prevail on appeal," an MSNBC spokesperson told Newsmax Sunday.
Some $247,667.50 is to be paid to Maddow's legal team and $10,724 to assistants in the defense, according to the ruling.
Herring Networks President Charles Herring wrote in an email statement to Law&Crime that OAN plans to appeal.
"We're pleased that the fees were reduced by nearly a third by the court," the email read. "The case is currently under appeal, and we're highly confident that we'll receive a favorable and just ruling in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit."