A coal tycoon sued John Oliver for saying mean things

According to a report from The Daily Beast, coal tycoon Robert E. Murray is suing HBO, Time Warner, and the writers of Last Week Tonight for defamation, accusing the show of executing a “meticulously planned attempt to assassinate the character of and reputation of Mr. Robert E. Murray and his companies.”

Murray, who is the CEO of Murray Energy Corporation, is suing comedian John Oliver’s show due to a recent episode where Oliver took aim at Murray’s business dealings, accusing him of not doing enough to protect his employees.

But HBO isn’t backing down.

“We have confidence in the staff of Last Week Tonight and do not believe anything in the show this week violated Mr. Murray’s or Murray Energy’s rights,” the cable network said in a statement provided to The Huffington Post.

From HuffPo:

The main problem Murray seems to have with Oliver’s segment is that he brought up the collapse of one of Murray’s mines in Utah, which claimed the lives of nine people. Oliver pointed out that a government report determined the collapse was due to unauthorized mining practices and noted that Murray blamed it on an earthquake.

Murray reportedly provided evidence of his claim in the form of reports, according to The Daily Beast, and alleges Oliver’s team chose to ignore it.

Murray is also claiming that his health declined after viewing the episode, saying that it likely further reduced his “already limited life expectancy due to his Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis.”

Watch the June 18 edition of Last Week Tonight below:

Featured image via screen grab

Sky Palma

Before launching DeadState back in 2012, Sky Palma has been blogging about politics, social issues and religion for over a decade. He lives in Los Angeles and also enjoys Brazilian jiu jitsu, chess, music and art.