NEW YORK—Judge Jed Rakoff struck a blow to former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s defamation lawsuit against The New York Times on Feb. 14 when he ruled in favor of a motion by the defense that essentially nullifies a jury’s verdict in her favor should it come back with one.
Officially known as Federal Rule of Civil Procedure No. 50, or the “Rule 50 Motion,” the motion states that the plaintiff has to have sufficient evidence for every element it needs to prove.
