Family of 9-year-old trashed as 'blackface' takes serious action

Holden Armenta (Real Kansas City Chiefs Fans)

The family of a 9-year-old boy accused by a publication of being in "blackface" has filed a defamation complaint against Carron J. Phllips and the publication Deadspin.

The boy, Holden Armenta, had his face painted half black and half red because he is a fan of the Kansas City Chiefs, at whose game he was.

He also was wearing a headdress, and reportedly is part Native American.

Holden Armenta and his family have move ahead with filing a defamation lawsuit against Deadspin. https://t.co/o8tkV8ZFLB The publication clearly values the controversial work of Carron J. Phillips. It may now have to decide how much. https://t.co/EIkcC0Cj2X

— Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) February 7, 2024

A report from Twitchy explained, "Did we mention that the boy is only nine years old? We are being facetious of course, but our point in emphasizing it so much is because it really is the original sin with this entire controversy. Even if this child was acting racist as heck (and we think he wasn’t acting racist at all), he’s nine years old and he shouldn’t be put on blast this way. If Phillips felt the need to complain about the situation, he shouldn’t have used any image or video of the kid in the first place. A description would have sufficed."

The report said, "Frankly, this author debated whether to mention this kid name at all or to show his picture, but Deadspin has unfortunately made him famous and this piece is unlikely to contribute to make him more so. Further, this article defends the kid, which is a different moral calculus. We think it is worthwhile that if someone Googled ‘Holden Armenta’ that they might find this piece where we defend the kid."

The report said there was "good chance" the family could win.

Is Deadspin financially liable for defaming this boy?

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"First, the law firm is the same one that sued Fox News on behalf of Dominion. How did that go for Fox News? Second, we think the complaint is plainly sufficient to survive a motion to dismiss and the facts alleged largely make Deadspin and Phillips look absolutely terrible.

"For instance, Phillips also claimed that wearing the Native American headdress was racist against Native Americans. But allegedly the kid is Native American, which means that even if you buy into the essentially racist theory of cultural appropriation, the kid is allowed to wear it. And once again, they are doing this to a nine-year-old kid. The jury is likely to be absolutely furious at Deadspin and Phillips over this."

The report said Deadspin allegedly "threatened" the family.

Deadspin’s parent company G/O Media was just sued by the parents of Holden Armenta for defamation.

The 49-page filing in Delaware demands a jury trial.

It alleges Deadspin defamed 9-year-old Holden by smearing him as a racist against Native Americans.

This will be expensive. pic.twitter.com/tgcprOgghc

— Paul A. Szypula (@Bubblebathgirl) February 7, 2024

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