Finding Grok to be quite useful in cutting down tedious 'net searches. Answers to well crafted questions are quite decent, and huge timesavers. The answers have to be read with the GIGO principle always in mind - they do produce results that CAN BE argued with (eg. in particular those about greenhouse gases I found some blatant errors due to a preponderance, imo, of bad input/biased source material for that particular question.
Anyhooz -
What is the current status of the 'hockey stick' lawsuit against Mark Stein ? ... err Steyn)
5 posts
15 web pages
The defamation lawsuit filed by climate scientist Michael Mann against Mark Steyn (often misspelled as "Stein") and Rand Simberg, related to the "hockey stick" graph, concluded with a significant verdict in February 2024. After a 12-year legal battle in the Washington, D.C. Superior Court, a jury unanimously found Steyn and Simberg guilty of defaming Mann. The lawsuit stemmed from 2012 blog posts where Simberg compared Mann’s work to the actions of convicted child molester Jerry Sandusky, and Steyn called Mann’s hockey stick graph "fraudulent." Mann was awarded $1 in compensatory damages from each defendant, $1,000 in punitive damages from Simberg, and $1,000,000 in punitive damages from Steyn.
Steyn has since appealed the verdict, arguing that the punitive damages—particularly the $1 million awarded against him—are excessive and unprecedented, citing a million-to-one ratio relative to the $1 compensatory damage. His appeal references legal precedents suggesting that such a ratio may violate due process, and he seeks a reduction or overturning of the award based on D.C. law, the First Amendment, or the Fifth Amendment’s Due Process Clause. The appeal process is ongoing, with no final resolution reported as of the latest available information from early 2025. Posts on X indicate continued public interest in the case, with some framing it as a free speech issue, though these are not conclusive evidence of the legal status.
The case remains in the appeals phase, with potential for further legal developments, possibly escalating to higher courts. No specific timeline for the appeal’s resolution is available.
Imo: The Jury was 100% incorrect and Mann's work is deeply fraudulent. Sorry to see that resolution of the case.
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