Michael Brooks
In January 2019, a viral video emerged of an interaction between Covington Catholic High School student Nick Sandmann and Native American activist Nathan Phillips at the Lincoln Memorial. Following the incident, Sandmann hired the Louisville-based PR firm RunSwitch to release a statement describing himself as a practicing Catholic and blaming Phillips for the encounter. Sandmann and his family also pursued legal action, filing defamation lawsuits against several media organizations, although he lost most of these cases.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name of Covington Catholic student | Nick Sandmann |
| Name of PR firm | RunSwitch PR |
| Location of PR firm | Louisville |
| Native American man in the video | Nathan Phillips |
| Location of incident | Lincoln Memorial |
| Year of incident | 2019 |
| Month of incident | January |
| Day of the month | 21 |
| Year of the lawsuit | 2022 |
| Month of the lawsuit | July |
| Date of the lawsuit | 27 |
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What You'll Learn
Covington Catholic student Nick Sandmann hires PR firm
In 2019, Covington Catholic student Nick Sandmann, who was at the centre of a national controversy over his interaction with a Native American man, hired a PR firm to tell his side of the story. Videos that went viral showed Sandmann, wearing a "Make America Great Again" cap, standing face to face with Nathan Phillips, a Native American activist, as Phillips beat a drum and sang. Sandmann's family hired Louisville-based firm RunSwitch PR, and released a three-page statement describing himself as a practising Catholic while blaming Phillips for approaching him.
RunSwitch partner Steve Bryant said that the Sandmann family reached out to the firm for help in pushing back against the narrative drawn from multiple videos of the incident. The statement said that Sandmann was "startled and confused" when Phillips approached him. Sandmann's attorneys said they would be "carefully reviewing all of the false accusations and threats made against Nick".
In addition to hiring a PR firm, Sandmann also retained the services of prominent lawyers Lin Wood and Todd McMurtry. Wood was chosen after a search for "a nationally-recognized attorney skilled in the fields of libel, defamation, and the First Amendment". The attorneys said they expected to file "a multitude of civil lawsuits" on Sandmann's behalf.
Sandmann has since filed several defamation lawsuits against media organisations, including NBC, CNN, the Washington Post, CBS, ABC, and the New York Times. He settled with NBC for a confidential amount, and reportedly reached settlements with CNN and the Washington Post as well. However, he lost the lawsuits against CBS, ABC, and the New York Times, among others.
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Sandmann releases a statement describing himself as a practising Catholic
Following the release of a video showing an interaction between Covington Catholic High School student Nick Sandmann and Native American activist Nathan Phillips at the Lincoln Memorial, Sandmann hired a PR firm to present his side of the story. The Louisville-based firm RunSwitch PR helped Sandmann release a three-page statement in which he described himself as a practising Catholic and blamed Phillips for approaching him.
In the statement, Sandmann said he was "startled and confused" by the incident. He also denied any wrongdoing on the part of his classmates, who could be seen taunting Phillips in the video. The PR firm, RunSwitch, maintained that they were contacted by the Sandmann family to help push back against the narrative that was drawn from the video.
The incident caused an outcry and sparked discussions about the culture of bullying and misogyny at Covington Catholic High School. Social media users shared their experiences with the school's student body, including allegations of bullying and misogyny. The video also led to Sandmann receiving death threats.
In the months following the incident, Sandmann sued several media companies for defamation, including CBS, ABC, and The New York Times Company. However, he lost most of these lawsuits, with some being dismissed and only a few resulting in settlements. The litigation expenses may have been covered by wealthy political backers or his family, although the exact source of funding remains unknown.
The public nature of the case and its political implications may have attracted pro-bono lawyers or financial backers. Sandmann's legal team's specific arguments and strategies in these defamation lawsuits are not publicly available, but they likely centred around challenging negative reporting and interpretations of the incident.
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Sandmann blames Phillips for approaching him
In January 2019, a viral video of a confrontation between Nick Sandmann, a Covington Catholic High School student, and Native American activist Nathan Phillips gained widespread attention and sparked intense debate. The incident occurred on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial during Sandmann's school trip to Washington, D.C., to participate in an anti-abortion march.
In the video, Sandmann, wearing a MAGA cap, stands inches from Phillips's face while the latter beats a ceremonial drum. Sandmann's classmates can be seen taunting and jeering, with eyewitnesses claiming they heard denigrating remarks about Native Americans.
Following the incident, Sandmann hired the Louisville-based PR firm RunSwitch to help push back against the narrative drawn from the videos. In a statement crafted with their assistance, Sandmann blamed Phillips for approaching him, claiming he was “startled and confused" and attempting to defuse the situation by "remaining motionless and calm." He also mentioned that he was saying a "silent prayer" in the video, hoping the situation would not escalate.
However, Phillips and eyewitnesses offered conflicting accounts. Phillips, in interviews, expressed his belief that Sandmann's response lacked sincerity and responsibility. He felt that Sandmann's statement was crafted by a PR firm and did not reflect genuine remorse. Phillips also shared that he felt compelled to walk by the teenagers to defuse the tension that had escalated between them and a group called the Hebrew Israelites, known for their aggressive and combative street preaching.
The incident sparked discussions about the role of PR firms in shaping public narratives and the complexities of interpreting viral videos, with many projecting their beliefs and grievances onto the incident.
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Sandmann loses defamation lawsuits against media companies
In January 2019, a video was released showing Nick Sandmann, a student at Covington Catholic High School, standing inches from the face of Native American activist Nathan Phillips as his classmates taunted him. Following the incident, Sandmann hired the Louisville-based PR firm RunSwitch to help push back against the narrative drawn from the video.
Sandmann filed defamation lawsuits against several media companies, including ABC News, Rolling Stone magazine, CBS News, Gannett, and The New York Times. The lawsuits alleged that the companies defamed Sandmann by characterizing his actions towards Phillips as nefarious.
However, in August 2022, a federal judge in the Eastern District of Kentucky dismissed Sandmann's lawsuits against the media companies. The judge agreed with the media defendants and disagreed with Sandmann's attorneys, who argued that the evidence did not support their claims. The judge noted that the media companies were simply reporting Phillips's version of events, which was an opinion and not a fact.
Sandmann's attorney, Todd VanDerVeer McMurtry, expressed disappointment with the decision and stated their intention to appeal. Despite the dismissal of these lawsuits, it is important to note that Sandmann had previously settled three other lawsuits against media outlets, including CNN, NBC Universal, and The Washington Post.
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A detective agency clears Covington Catholic students of blame
A detective agency has cleared Covington Catholic students of blame in the standoff with a Native American man, Nathan Phillips, near the Lincoln Memorial, that went viral on social media. The incident, which involved Covington Catholic student Nick Sandmann, sparked an outcry and led to death threats against Sandmann after a video of the encounter was widely shared.
In the video, Sandmann, a student at Covington Catholic High School in Kentucky, was seen standing face-to-face with Native American activist Nathan Phillips while Sandmann's classmates taunted Phillips. In the aftermath, some social media users shared their experiences of bullying and misogyny at the hands of the school's student body.
Facing a backlash, Sandmann hired a PR firm, RunSwitch PR, to help push back against the narrative drawn from the videos of the incident. In a three-page statement, Sandmann described himself as a practising Catholic and blamed Phillips for approaching him, saying he was "startled and confused".
However, a detective agency hired by Covington Catholic School found that the students were not at fault in the standoff. This incident has also led to legal repercussions, with Sandmann filing defamation lawsuits against several media organisations, although he has lost most of these cases.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, Nick Sandmann, a former Covington Catholic student, hired the Louisville-based PR firm RunSwitch.
Sandmann hired the PR firm to tell his side of the story after a video of him standing before Native American activist Nathan Phillips at the Lincoln Memorial went viral.
RunSwitch maintained that the Sandmann family reached out to them to help push back against the narrative drawn from the video.
Sandmann sued eight companies for defamation, including CBS, ABC, and the New York Times Company, but lost the lawsuits.
