Judge rules Michael Lunsford, Citizens for New La. owe librarian $50,000 in attorney fees; The Acadiana Advocate, July 2, 2026

CLAIRE TAYLOR , The Acadiana Advocate; Judge rules Michael Lunsford, Citizens for New La. owe librarian $50,000 in attorney fees

[Kip Currier: It's dizzying to remind ourselves via articles like this 7/2/26 one in The Acadiana Advocate of the legal twists and turns that librarian Amanda Jones has traversed to arrive at this $50,000 settlement agreement for attorney fees in her lawsuit for alleged defamation against Citizens for a New Louisiana.

Ms. Jones previously secured a recorded apology and $1 payment from blogger Ryan Thames in November 2025. 

I was fortunate to speak with the greatly-in-demand inspiring intellectual freedom advocate Amanda Jones in April 2025 for a recorded interview that graduate students continue to be able to learn from in my MLIS degree's "required core course" The Information Professional in Communities at the University of Pittsburgh. Her profile is also included in the Intellectual Freedom chapter of my 2025 Bloomsbury book Ethics, Information, and Technology.

Ms. Jones shared on LinkedIn recently that she was "incredibly humbled and grateful" to learn that her 2024 Bloomsbury book That Librarian: The Fight Against Book Banning in America "has been included in The Obama Foundation Public Library collection of non circulating books, specially chosen by President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama."

Kudos to Amanda Jones -- and other dedicated librarians and information professionals throughout the world -- for courageously standing up for intellectual freedom and access to diverse viewpoints and voices through books.]

"A Livingston Parish judge has ruled that Michael Lunsford and the Lafayette-based Citizens for a New Louisiana owe $50,000 to a librarian in a defamation case that has not yet been tried on its merits.

Twenty-first Judicial District Court Judge Erika Sledge of Livingston Parish on June 15 awarded Amanda Jones, a Livingston Parish school librarian, $50,979 to be paid by Citzens for a New Louisiana and Executive Director Michael Lunsford.

In 2022, Jones spoke at a Livingston Parish Library board meeting against censorship and the proposal removal of books. Lunsford, who runs the social media for the conservative Citizens for a New Louisiana and blogger Ryan Thames blasted Jones on social media, equating her opposition to banning publications like “This Book Is Gay” to supporting the grooming of children and pornography...

Jones has since settled with Thames who issued a public apology."

OpenAI's Sam Altman writes apology to community of Tumbler Ridge; CBC News, April 24, 2026

Andrew Kurjata , CBC News; OpenAI's Sam Altman writes apology to community of Tumbler Ridge

"Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, has written a letter of apology to the community of Tumbler Ridge for failing to alert RCMP about the account of the Tumbler Ridge shooter.

The company shared the letter with the local news website Tumbler RidgeLines, which published it in full. Its authenticity was confirmed by a spokesperson for OpenAI...

Altman committed to authoring an apology after meeting with B.C. Premier David Eby and Tumbler Ridge Mayor Darryl Krakowka at the beginning of March, but said he wanted to take some time before doing so in order to give the community the opportunity to "grieve in their own time."

He also acknowledged that his company should have alerted law enforcement about the account of the shooter, which was flagged for problematic activity in advance of the tragedy but was not escalated to alerting authorities in Canada...

Altman's company is being sued by one Tumbler Ridge family, who alleges the company "had specific knowledge of the shooter's long-range planning of a mass casualty event," but "took no steps to act upon this knowledge."

Apology 'necessary' but 'grossly insufficient': Eby

Eby also shared the letter on social media, writing "the apology is necessary, and yet grossly insufficient for the devastation done to the families of Tumbler Ridge."

A statement from the District of Tumbler Ridge released Friday afternoon acknowledged that Altman's letter "may evoke a range of emotions, and we encourage everyone to take the time and space they need.""

Adidas Apologizes After Mexico Criticizes Oaxacan-Inspired Shoe; The New York Times, August 11, 2025

Michael Levenson , The New York Times; Adidas Apologizes After Mexico Criticizes Oaxacan-Inspired Shoe

"President Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico displayed an image of a pair of Adidas Oaxaca Slip-Ons at a news conference on Friday and said that Adidas and other companies were “usurping the creativity” of Indigenous communities.

She said that the government of Oaxaca had begun talks with Adidas aimed at reimbursing Indigenous communities for the use of their “collective intellectual property” and that Mexico was prepared to take legal action.

Mr. Chavarria, the son of an Irish American mother and a Mexican American father, issued an apology on Saturday, written in English and Spanish and addressed to “the people of Oaxaca.”"

Disney CEO apologizes after elementary school is fined for Lion King showing; The Verge, February 6, 2020

Julia Alexander , The Verge; Disney CEO apologizes after elementary school is fined for Lion King showing

"Movie Licensing USA, a licensing firm that works with Disney and a number of other companies, sent an email to Emerson Elementary, letting it know the firm was alerted to the PTA’s screening, and the school was facing a $250 fine as a result for showing a movie for which it didn’t have the licensing rights. The email, which was obtained by CNN, noted that “any time a movie is shown outside of the home, legal permission is needed to show it, as it is considered a Public Performance.”...

There are a number of unanswered questions. How did Movie Licensing USA even find out about the event? Who alerted the company to a small fundraising event, which led the firm to take action? Disney is notorious for its copyright takedown strategy, but it’s usually over parts of its movies ending up on YouTube or other hosting sites or merchandise using characters from its properties — not a fundraising event where a movie purchased by a local father was shown. 

At least Iger is trying to rectify the situation. But it doesn’t answer any of the questions listed above. The Verge has reached out to Disney and Movie Licensing USA for more information."

Jackson Browne, Republicans Settle Copyright Case; Billboard, 7/21/09

Gary Graff via Billboard; Jackson Browne, Republicans Settle Copyright Case:

"Jackson Browne is hopeful that the protection of music copyrights will be bolstered by the settlement of his lawsuit against U.S. Sen. John McCain and the Republican Party over unauthorized use of one of his songs in the 2008 U.S. presidential campaign.

Last August Browne sued McCain, the Ohio Republican Party and the Republican National Committee for copyright infringement, false endorsement and violating his right of publicity after his 1977 hit "Running On Empty" was used without permission in a McCain campaign ad that aired on TV and the Internet."

http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/jackson-browne-republicans-settle-copyright-1003995650.story