Far-right activist Ammon Bundy loses defamation case and faces millions of dollars in fines
FILE - Anti-government activist Ammon Bundy is wheeled from the Idaho Statehouse in Boise, Idaho, Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2020, following his second arrest for trespassing. St. Luke’s Regional Health sued Bundy for defamation more than a year ago. Since then, Bundy has ignored subpoenas and called on scores of his followers to camp at his home when he learned he could be arrested for contempt of court. (AP Photo/Keith Ridler, File)
SALEM, Ore. (AP) — A far-right activist who led the takeover of a federal wildlife refuge in Oregon now must pay millions of dollars in damages after a hospital in Idaho won a defamation lawsuit against them.
The lawsuit by St. Luke’s Regional Health accuses Ammon Bundy and his associate Diego Rodriguez of making defamatory statements against the hospital and its employees.
The statements came after Rodriguez’s infant grandson was temporarily removed from his family and taken to St. Luke’s amid concerns for his health.
Police say medical personnel determined the child was malnourished and had lost weight. The hospital claimed Bundy and Rodriguez orchestrated a smear campaign against it.
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