Covington Catholic student Nicholas Sandmann wins defamation settlement from Washington Post

The Washington Post has settled a $250 million defamation lawsuit brought by Covington Catholic High School student Nicholas Sandmann regarding its coverage of a viral confrontation between the then-minor student and a Native American elder, in which Sandmann was portrayed as the instigator.

Sandmann tweeted the announcement.

The Post is the second major news organization to settle with Sandmann, following CNN, which settled its case in January. 

Sandmann then tweeted, "We have settled with WAPO and CNN. The fight isn't over. 2 down. 6 to go. Don't hold your breath @jack," indicating that his attorneys may next take on the social networking giant.

It's unclear how much money Sandmann received in either settlement.

A spokesperson for the Washington Post said, "We are pleased that we have been able to reach a mutually agreeable resolution of the remaining claims in this lawsuit."

Several prominent media outlets portrayed the incident between Sandmann and the Native American elder as being racially motivated. A clip was aired of Sandmann sporting a "MAGA" cap and smiling as Nathan Phillips beat a drum and chanted at Sandmann and his peers in front of the Lincoln Memorial. 

However, additional footage that was provided later showed that it was actually a group of Black Hebrew Israelites that had stirred up the incident by hurling racial slurs at the students. 

In March of 2019, Sandmann's legal representation filed a suit against CNN, NBC, and the Washington Post for their coverage of the incident before all of the facts pertaining to the encounter between Sandmann and the Native American man had been made entirely clear. Sandmann was seeking $800 million in damages from the three outlets.