RALEIGH, N.C. — Former North Carolina Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson has officially retracted his defamation lawsuit against CNN, which contested the network’s report concerning explicit posts allegedly made by him on a pornography site’s message board over a decade ago.
The brief notice of dismissal was filed by Robinson’s legal team in the U.S. District Court for eastern North Carolina, but it did not elaborate on the reasons for his withdrawal. However, in a separate statement, Robinson invoked a biblical verse, explaining that he determined that “costly litigation and political gamesmanship by my detractors makes clear that continuing to pursue retribution from CNN is a futile effort.”
Robinson stated, “It is more honorable to bury an injury than to revenge it,” emphasizing that while he valued his role serving the people of North Carolina, the ongoing political harassment towards his family was a price he was no longer willing to pay.
The 56-year-old politician, who previously ran unsuccessfully for governor, had denied involvement in the statements attributed to him in the CNN article published in September when he still held the office of lieutenant governor. Following the report, he initiated the lawsuit in a bid to defend his reputation. At the time of the dismissal, the legal team awaited a ruling on CNN’s request to dismiss the case altogether.
Robinson, a prominent figure in the Republican Party since his surprise victory in the 2020 elections, commented on his future political ambitions, stating that he would not be running in the upcoming year nor pursuing any elected roles down the line. There had been speculation regarding his potential candidacy against U.S. Senator Thom Tillis in 2026.
In his statement, Robinson asserted, “Today, my family and I are turning the page.” CNN previously reported that Robinson made derogatory remarks on the NudeAfrica message board, including references to himself in derogatory terms and expressing controversial political views. The uncovered content nearly derailed his gubernatorial campaign, leading to a distancing from him by fellow Republicans and a significant decline in campaign contributions.
After losing to Democrat Josh Stein by nearly 15 percentage points in the November election, Robinson’s tenure concluded at the end of December. CNN opted not to comment on the dismissal or Robinson’s recent statements.
In the legal filings, Robinson’s attorneys contended that CNN acted hastily in publishing its report without verifying information with the NudeAfrica website’s owner. They cited a past hack of the website that may have contributed to inaccuracies. CNN’s legal team argued that the case should be pursued in federal court and that Robinson did not meet the necessary criteria for proving defamation as a public figure.
Defamation claims generally require that a public figure demonstrate that the statement was knowingly false or made with reckless disregard for the truth. CNN’s legal representatives detailed the investigative measures taken by their journalists to corroborate Robinson’s connection to a username on the NudeAfrica site, including comparisons of usernames, email addresses, and personal identifiers.
The report illustrated that CNN’s findings were supported by matching phrases used in Robinson’s social media accounts and those in the NudeAfrica account. Additionally, Robinson included a former porn shop employee, Louis Love Money, in his lawsuit, who alleged that Robinson frequented the shop and purchased adult content during the 1990s. Robinson has denied these claims, while Love Money has stood firm by his statements. Claims against Money were also dismissed on the same day Robinson withdrew his lawsuit.
