6/4 – A federal judge in the Southern District of New York dismissed Brian Morley’s defamation suit against John Oliver and his production company, holding that Oliver’s Medicaid segment on Last Week Tonight was not defamatory as a matter of law, either through specific statements or by implication. The lawsuit arose from a segment criticizing privatized Medicaid systems, in which plaintiff was quoted saying about a patient with cerebral palsy that “People are allowed to be dirty . . . I would allow him to be a little dirty for a couple of days.” Oliver reacted by saying he could not believe a doctor thought “it’s okay if people have shit on them for days.” Morley sued, arguing Oliver falsely implied (1) that Morley had illegally denied care to patients and (2) that Morley believed diapered, disabled patients could sit in feces for days. The court held that Oliver’s statements were substantially true, could not be construed as plaintiff alleged, or non-actionable opinion, and dismissed plaintiff’s claims.