Chess prodigy Hans Niemann's $US100 million ($150 million) defamation lawsuit alleging Norwegian grandmaster Magnus Carlsen and Chess.com falsely accused him of dishonest has been dismissed in a US federal court docket. Key factors:The federal court docket rejected Niemann's claims Carlsen and Chess.com broke antitrust legal guidelinesThe choose additionally discovered she didn't have jurisdiction over state regulation claims for defamation …
Chess prodigy Hans Niemann’s $US100 million ($150 million) defamation lawsuit alleging Norwegian grandmaster Magnus Carlsen and Chess.com falsely accused him of dishonest has been dismissed in a US federal court docket.
District Courtroom Decide Audrey Fleissig rejected Niemann’s claims Carlsen and Chess.com broke antitrust legal guidelines by colluding to exclude him from profitable tournaments.
Decide Fleissig additionally discovered she didn’t have jurisdiction over Niemann’s state regulation claims for defamation and breach of contract, amongst others.
Attorneys for Niemann, a 19-year-old whose defeat of Carlsen final yr surprised the chess world, stated in a press release the choice had “completely no affect” on their means to pursue the defamation claims in state court docket, which they now intend to do.
An legal professional for Carlsen, the highest-ranked chess participant in historical past, stated in a press release the court docket rejected Niemann’s bid to get better an “under-served windfall in Missouri federal court docket” and chill free speech “via strategic litigation in that discussion board”.
Attorneys for Chess.com stated in a press release the corporate was “glad to see an finish to this saga” and “grateful that each one events can now concentrate on rising the sport of chess”.
The authorized battle stems from Niemann’s upset victory over Carlsen at a event in St Louis, Missouri, in the US, in September 2019 and Carlsen’s subsequent claims that Niemann had cheated, allegations Niemann denies.
Chess.com, the most important on-line chess platform on this planet, appeared to again up Carlsen’s claims when it stated it had uncovered proof of repeated dishonest in Niemann’s on-line taking part in historical past. Chess.com merged with Carlsen’s on-line chess firm in December 2022.
Niemann claimed he misplaced out on thousands and thousands of {dollars} in potential winnings after being allegedly blacklisted from main tournaments by the defendants.
Carlsen and Chess.com denied these allegations, saying Niemann had nonetheless been in a position to compete in main tournaments.
Reuters
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