Salaheddin Barhoum and Yassine Zaimi, the two young men who were identified as “Bag Men” on the cover of the New York Post during the investigation of the Boston Marathon, have sued that paper for defamation. The lawsuit, filed Wednesday, argues that the Post cover and accompanying article imply Barhoum and Zaimi were lead suspects. No word on what kind of monetary damages the men are seeking.
“The front page would lead a reasonable reader to believe that plaintiffs had bombs in their bags, that they were involved in causing the Boston Marathon bombing,” argue the pair’s lawyers in the complaint, adding that Barhoum and Zaimi were subjected to “scorn, hatred, ridicule, or contempt in the minds of a considerable and respectable segment of the community,” after the story ran.
If the Post had only apologized, perhaps this all could have been avoided.
