On Tuesday, July 14th, 2026, a legal analysis published by Reason emphasized that a libel defendant cannot "stroll into a deposition, pull a Jon Lovitz and announce" ignorance of falsity and then demand summary judgment. The commentary critiques the notion that a defendant's statement such as, "Yeah, I had no idea it was false. Yeah, that's right. Yeah," could suffice to end a case without further evidence.

The article explains that while such a claim might be comedic, it does not meet the legal standards required for summary judgment because no one can possess contrary evidence from inside the defendant's mind. Therefore, courts require more substantial proof than mere assertions of ignorance to resolve libel cases without trial.

This perspective was articulated by Eugene Volokh in Reason, reflecting a libertarian viewpoint on the procedural aspects of libel litigation in the United States.

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