Variety, publisher and reporter sued for defamation by Zajradhara

The Marianas Variety, its publisher Amier Younis, and reporter Bryan Manabat were sued together in federal court on allegations by Zaji Zajradhara of defamation.

The lawsuit alleges the newspaper, through articles written by Mr. Manabat, published defamatory information about Mr. Zajradhara from 2017 or 2018 through the present time.

The publication of “a series of false and defamatory articles,” includes articles that “falsely accused Plaintiff of criminal activity, dishonesty, and a lack of professional competence, often citing the CNMI Legislature’s ‘persona non-grata’ resolution without proper context,” the lawsuit states.

The lawsuit does not appear to show the entry of any attorney for Mr. Zajradhara, the plaintiff in the case.

“They also misrepresented his past arrests and convictions, failing to provide context or exploration of potential rehabilitation,” the lawsuit says of the Variety articles in question. “These articles have been published consistently over several years, demonstrating a pattern of malicious intent.”

The lawsuit does not contain the articles in question, nor any reference to dates of publication.

“Marianas Variety News & Views has erased many articles from its website, making it difficult to pinpoint exact dates and times,” the lawsuit states. “However, Plaintiff intends to rely on archived copies of the articles, as well as other evidence, to establish the timeline of the Defendants’ actions.”

Mr. Zajradhara targeted Mr. Manabat in the lawsuit, alleging the reporter has a “conflict of interest” “that undermines his journalistic integrity,” because he is a member of the United Filipino Organization.

“The UFO is a politically motivated organization with goals that are directly opposed to Plaintiff’s advocacy for American workers’ rights and fiscal responsibility in the CNMI,” the lawsuit states, without referencing any federal law that either defines a reporter’s conflict of interest, or federal statute that regulates such conduct. None exist, as the U.S. Constitution clearly protects the right of a free press.

The plaintiff believes Mr. Manabat conspired with UFO to malign him through Manabat’s articles in the Marianas Variety in order to damage his reputation. He complained to the court in the lawsuit that Mr. Manabat often overlooked his perspective, utilized “loaded language and discrimatory tropes,” and was calculating in his writing to “shape public perception in favor of the UFO and against Plaintiff.”

Mr. Zajradhara constantly was refused employment because of the so-called negative media coverage from the Manabat articles, according to his lawsuit. “[P]rospective employers explicitly cited the negative media coverage as the reason for not hiring him.

He also asserts that he has demanded the Variety discontinue the articles he purports have been attacks on his credibility, and that the newspaper’s refusal to stop printing certain information about him amounts to retaliation against him for exercising his right to free speech.

He has requested a jury trial and compensatory damages of $100 million.