Hasan Piker Sues Scott Jennings for $72.5M

Hasan Piker says a conservative pundit crossed a legal line, for which he's seeking damages totaling $72.5 million. The progressive streamer filed a federal defamation suit Tuesday against Scott Jennings, accusing him of airing a "fabricated and manipulated" video on his podcast that made it appear that Piker endorsed lynching Black people, NBC News reports.

In an August episode of The Scott Jennings Show, Jennings described Piker as "calling for Black voters to be lynched" and shared a clip on X that has drawn about 3 million views. Piker's complaint says the video spliced together multiple streams, stripped context from his mockery of another commentator, and added a quote he never said. Piker's attorneys said a retraction demand went unanswered; Jennings, a CNN commentator, has not publicly responded. Piker wants $27.5 million in compensatory damages and $45 million in punitive damages, per the Guardian. He's seeking a jury trial.