Cameras In The Courtroom: 2023-CV-083

Note: Highlights of the court case can be found below. A full court case recording can be found at the end of the page.

TLDW (Too Long; Didn’t Watch):

Docket for [2023-CV-083]

Date: September 10, 2023

General Dispute – Civil Complaint
Plaintiff: Adam Payne
Respondents: Kyone Cohen, Reginald Sinclair

Judge: Kylian J. Clarkson

Defense: Self-Representation (Kyone Cohen, Reginald Sinclair)

Prosecution: Joey Solace, Donald OHagen

Testimony/Witnesses:
Kyone Cohen
Annie Coady-Wren
Sam Castro (Dismissed on grounds of incompetence; everything from Sam Castro was struck from the record)
Robert Richardson
Adam Payne
Clayton Greene-Tugelbend

Any (non-testimonial) evidence:
Texts from Reginald Sinclair to Sam Castro:
Text Message One
Text Message Two

Important Notes:
In this legal case involving defamation, the plaintiff, Adam Payne, accused Kyone Cohen and Reginald Sinclair of falsely calling him corrupt and claiming he bribed them. The court applied a four-part test to assess the defamation claim:

1. The false statement as fact: Mr. Cohen’s admission that he attempted to bribe Mr. Payne satisfied this requirement.
2. Publication to a third party: Mr. Cohen spoke with various individuals and Weazel News, publicly making the statements.
3. Fault amounting to at least negligence: Mr. Payne faced inquiries and investigations as a result of these statements.
4. Damages or harm caused: Mr. Payne’s public image suffered due to these allegations.

Final Verdict:
The court found in favor of Mr. Payne. Mr. Cohen faced charges of perjury, obstruction of justice, and civil contempt. He had the option to post a public apology on Y and pay a $2,000 fine or skip the apology and pay a $30,000 fine, with a deadline of October 10, 2023, to avoid additional penalties.

Full Court Proceeding: