Brian O’Hara as resigned as chief of the Minneapolis Police Department in disgrace. Katie Blackwell, formerly assistant chief of operations, is now the acting chief. I was seving as a member of the board of Alpha News at the time that Blackwell sued Alpha News and Liz Collin as a result of her brief appearance in the film The Fall of Minneapolis (produced by Liz Collin).
Based on her appearance in the film and in the related book by Liz, Blackwell brought an ill-advised defamation lawsuit against Liz and Alpha News. I called the lawsuit Blackwell’s folly.
Jenna Gloeb now takes a look back in the current Alpha News story “14 officers signed sworn declarations saying new Minneapolis chief committed perjury during Chauvin trial.” Alpha News asked the Minnesota POST Board — whose members are appointed by Gov. Tim Walz — why it hasn’t taken any action against Blackwell, but received no response.
I reported on the defendants’ motion to dismiss Blackwell’s lawsuit in “Alpha News goes to court.” I followed up in the posts “O’Hara’s law” and “Open letter to a spineless weasel” (i.e., O’Hara).
Blackwell testified for the state in the prosecution of Derek Chauvin for murder in the case arising from George Floyd’s death. Liz’s book and film impugn the accuracy of Blackwell’s testimony at the Chauvin murder trial. In her testimony Blackwell asserted that the knee-on-neck restraint Chauvin used on Floyd was not trained by the department. The documentary is accessible for free at the link above. The testimony in issue appears in the video at 1:00:03-1:00:32.
Minneapolis attorney Chris Madel represented the defendants Blackwell has sued. We asserted every applicable defense including truth and the First Amendment. Sources and references for the film are here. Chris also introduced the declarations of 34 Minneapolis police offers specifically refuting Blackwell’s testimony regarding the knee-on-neck restraint.
Hennepin County District Judge Edward Wahl heard three hours of argument on defendants’ motion to dismiss Blackwell’s case as a matter of law under the framework established by Minnesota’s newly enacted Uniform Public Expression Protection Act (UPEPA), Minn. Stat. §§ 554.07 et seq. Under § 554.08, the statute provides a procedure to secure expedited relief against claims premised on the “exercise of the right of freedom of speech or of the press…” UPEPA inarguably applied to the case.
Alpha News editor Anthony Gockowski reported on the hearing in “Judge hears motion to dismiss defamation lawsuit against Alpha News, Liz Collin.” Subhead: “Alpha News attorney Chris Madel repeatedly argued that MPD Assistant Chief Katie Blackwell’s attorneys responded to the motion by presenting ‘nothing.’” As Bob Dylan might put it, too much of nothing can turn a man into a liar. Too much of nothing warranted dismissal of the case. Anthony’s story included the video below of Chris meeting the press with Liz Collin after the hearing.
Alpha News and @lizcollin attorney Chris Madel after today's court hearing: 'Katie Blackwell didn't even show up to court today. That should show you exactly who Katie Blackwell is and how strong she thinks her case is.' pic.twitter.com/rqVARqC4jS
— Alpha News (@AlphaNewsMN) February 7, 2025
Judge Wahl granted defendants’ motion to dismiss the case. I have embedded his scrupulous 58-page order below. It was a good day for independent journalism in Minnesota and a bad day for the Minneapolis Police Department. At the end of the day, as they say, Blackwell agreed to resolve her exploding cigar of a lawsuit by paying attorneys’ fees of $75,000.
I asked Liz Collin for a comment at the time of Judge Wahl’s dismissal of Blackwell’s lawsuit. Liz wrote: “My reporting has always been about getting the facts and speaking the truth. And I think the dismissal of this case says a lot about what I’ve been saying for quite some time about how the media and so-called leaders have handled the arrest and death of George Floyd: they’re lying.”
Blackwell v. Collin (24-15500) FINAL ORDER by Scott Johnson on Scribd
