Libel Suit by "King of Vape" Against N.Y. Post, Over Allegations of Misconduct and Anti-Israel Actions, Thrown Out
A libel suit filed by the 'King of Vape' against the New York Post has been dismissed by a Florida court. The court ruled that the plaintiff, a public figure, failed to adequately allege actual malice in the defamation claims. The plaintiff's attempts to amend the complaint were deemed insufficient and in bad faith, leading to the dismissal with prejudice.
- ▪The plaintiff operates vape retail stores in Florida and claimed the New York Post published false statements about him.
- ▪The court determined that the plaintiff is a public figure, requiring him to meet a higher standard of proof for defamation.
- ▪The plaintiff's amendments to the complaint were seen as an attempt to evade the court's ruling on his public figure status.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
Free Speech Libel Suit by "King of Vape" Against N.Y. Post, Over Allegations of Misconduct and Anti-Israel Actions, Thrown Out "Plaintiff's allegations in [an earlier] complaint let the cat out of the bag that he is a public figure. He cannot put the cat back into the bag in the hope of keeping his case alive." Eugene Volokh | 5.30.2026 9:34 AM From Judge Sheri Polster Chappell (M.D. Fla.) yesterday in Shriteh v. NYP Holdings, Inc.: This is a defamation case. Plaintiff operates seventeen vape retail stores in southwest Florida under the trademark name "the King of Vape." Christenson, writing for the New York Post, authored and published an article about Plaintiff titled, "Florida's Israel-hating 'King of Vape' Faces Bipartisan Crackdown on Sale of Illicit, Kid-Friendly Chinese E-cigs."…
Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Reason.com.
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