Journalist and social media influencer Yashar Ali referred to a 2021 Los Angeles Magazine profile piece about him as “defamatory” and accused the publisher and article’s author as engaging in “journalistic malpractice.”
Ali sued the publication in June 2022 for defamation and promissory fraud and asked for a trial, along with general damages, special damages, punitive damages and the cost of the lawsuit.
A Los Angeles County judge granted none of his requests, instead dismissing his lawsuit while sticking him with the defendant’s lawyer’s fee.
Last week, Judge Lynne M. Hobbs ordered Ali to pay $43,525, which includes fees and court costs.
Calls to Ali’s legal representatives were not returned nor were calls to Los Angeles Magazine or its lawyers.
Ali protested a nearly 6,000-word piece published in June 2021 by journalist Peter Kiefer.
The profile — based on multiple interviews with Ali along with former colleagues, friends and reporters, according to Kiefer — painted an unflattering image of Ali, alleged the plaintiff.
In the profile, Kiefer referred to Ali as “a force to be reckoned with” and the “scourge of the internet,” who “took down Sharon Osbourne, hobbled the White House cabinet chances of L.A. mayor Eric Garcetti, canceled food writer Alison Roman, and helped crush Harvey Weinstein.”
In 2020, Ali accused top Garcetti adviser Rick Jacobs of forcibly kissing him.
Jacobs had previously been accused of sexual harassment by Los Angeles Police Officer Matthew Garza. Garcetti said he was unaware of the allegations at the time and Garza eventually settled for $1.2 million in 2023.
The scandal may have cost Garcetti a position as secretary of Transportation in the Biden administration.
Garcetti eventually became ambassador to India.
Although Kiefer wrote about Ali’s influence, he also pointed out Ali’s alleged record of evictions, loan defaults and tax issues.
He also quoted a friend of comedian Kathy Griffin, who referred to Ali as a “grifter” for overstaying an at least six-month stay at Griffin’s Bel-Air mansion.
Ali said there were several “false and misleading statements” in the article, including paragraphs that he said “falsely characterized” him as “careless.”
He lost thousands of followers in the days following the article but currently has over 700,000 on X.
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