‘Not an anti-vaxxer’: Joseph Arthur seeks $25M in damages from LA Times for damaging his career

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The court papers obtained by Variety also included screenshots of a text exchange between the singer and a Times reporter in which he wrote that he is not an “anti-vaxxer." However, he also noted that he is “anti this experimental shot” that is “completely ineffective against the spread of the virus."

The lawsuit stated, “Arthur’s prescient statements about the COVID-19 vaccines were 100% factually accurate. The Article impugned Arthur’s professional integrity and exposed him to hatred, contempt, ridicule, or obloquy as someone who was against all vaccines. The publication caused him to be shunned and avoided. The Article severely injured Arthur in his occupation as a musician, leading directly to the cancellation of multiple gigs.”

The court papers also said that Arthur has faced a lot of “humiliation” and “emotional suffering” due to the article and it also diminished “Arthur’s earning capacity.” Most importantly, the defamation lawsuit also claims that the LA Times endangered Arthur’s infant son by publishing a photo of the two. The suit reads, “By prominently inserting a photograph in the Article of Arthur holding his newborn baby, LA Times intended and endorsed the false and defamatory implication, and implied that Arthur was endangering his child, his family, indeed all of society.”

However, Arthur’s social media posts about vaccines have always been controversial. Even though the lawsuit claims Arthur has never “made fraudulent statements about the COVID-19 vaccines on his Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook accounts”, Rolling Stone noted that at least three posts that were made by the musician regarding Covid-19 and vaccines were labeled “false” by the platform’s fact-checking feature. Last year, he even came out with a song titled ‘Stop the Shot’ to protest against vaccines. Arthur is seeking damages of $25 million.