John Oliver sued by health care boss

John Oliver sued by health care boss

LOS ANGELES -- A former health insurance boss has taken legal action against "Last Week Tonight" host John Oliver, filing a defamation lawsuit against the Emmy winner.

Dr. Brian Morley, a hospital administrator and former medical director for AmeriHealth Caritas in Iowa, filed his lawsuit Friday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Morley's complaint stems from a Medicaid-themed episode of "Last Week Tonight" that aired in April 2024. The lawsuit, reviewed by The Times, alleges Oliver and "Last Week Tonight" producer Partially Important Productions linked Morley to a drastic decrease in Medicaid services and accused him of thinking "it's ok if people have s-- on them for days."

The episode central to Morley's lawsuit aired April 14, 2024, and saw Oliver explore the state of Medicaid, examining health care companies' cost-cutting measures and their toll on patients across various states. During the segment, which aired on HBO and is available on YouTube, Oliver explained the role of managed care organizations (MCOs) in the health care system and shared a news outlet's video about dwindling patient care. The 2018 news snippet featured a cerebral palsy patient in Iowa named Louis whose care was negatively impacted by MCO involvement.

Morley accused Oliver and "Last Week Tonight" of making him the "face" of the dramatic decrease in Medicaid care and increased cost-cutting. The lawsuit also raised concerns about how "Last Week Tonight" allegedly misrepresented Morley's 2017 comments and "knew and disregarded" various details of the hearing in the April episode.

The lawsuit alleges that the "Last Week Tonight" team "conveyed the false and defamatory meanings" that Morley denied care to "Louis and/or the alleged 'similar' individual subject" of his testimony and that he allegedly said it was acceptable for patients who wear diapers or who cannot bathe themselves to "be left sitting in their own bowel movements for days."

Prosecutors want Young Thug in prison

ATLANTA -- Prosecutors in Atlanta are asking a judge to revoke Young Thug 's probation and send him to prison because of his viral post that sparked an online backlash against the district attorney's office.

The Grammy-winning rapper pleaded guilty in October to gang, drug and gun charges and was released from jail. However, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis said he "engaged in conduct that directly threatens the safety of witnesses and prosecutors, compromises ongoing legal proceedings, and warrants immediate revocation of probation."

In a court filing on Wednesday, Willis said Young Thug reposted a social media post that included a photo of an investigator in the district attorney's office with a caption that said the investigator is "the biggest liar in the DA's office." The post "quickly went viral, amassing over 2 million views, with thousands of comments and retweets."