Court dismisses defamation suit against Andrew Weissmann

A U.S. District Court has dismissed a defamation lawsuit filed by attorney Stefan Passantino against legal analyst Andrew Weissmann. The lawsuit centered on a September 2023 social media post in which Weissmann claimed Passantino had coached Cassidy Hutchinson, a former Trump White House aide, to lie during her testimony before the House Select Committee investigating the January 6 Capitol riot.

Judge Loren L. Alikhan dismissed the case, ruling that Passantino failed to prove his claims. While Passantino pointed to congressional transcripts where Hutchinson stated, “Stefan never told me to lie,” the judge’s opinion noted evidence of the preparation sessions between the two. According to the court, during their meetings, Passantino advised Hutchinson that the strategy was to “downplay your role” and suggested that if she could not remember specific details, she should respond that she did not recall. The judge found that Passantino’s advice to use “I don’t recall” as a frequent response did not substantiate the claim of negligence or defamation in Weissmann's post.