- Kyle Rittenhouse's lawyer says his client is looking to file "at least 10" defamation lawsuits.
- The lawyer said the cases would be filed against defendants like Facebook and Mark Zuckerberg.
- Rittenhouse said that the Depp v. Heard verdict was "fueling" his drive to file lawsuits of his own.
A lawyer representing Kyle Rittenhouse said that their team is gearing up to file "at least 10" defamation lawsuits against large companies and prominent individuals on behalf of Rittenhouse.
Todd McMurtry, Rittenhouse's new attorney, told Fox News Digital that he had been "hired to head the effort to determine whom to sue, when to sue, where to sue."
Per the outlet, McMurtry added that he was "assured that there's probably 10 to 15 solid" cases that could be filed against "large defendants."
McMurtry singled out Facebook and its CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, accusing the platform of defaming Rittenhouse, per Fox News Digital. The lawyer added that Zuckerberg would be "at the top" of the list of parties to be sued by Rittenhouse, because of his "outsized voice."
"They said that he was involved in a mass murder incident," McMurtry said, per the outlet, referring to Facebook and Zuckerberg. "This was not a mass murder incident. It was clearly factually false."
He told Fox News Digital that his team would be looking into everything said about Rittenhouse to determine which comments were "legally actionable."
"To call somebody a mass murderer is seriously defamatory. And then to use the power of social media to basically … censor any views that would take opposition to that mass murderer statement is a serious effort to destroy his character," the lawyer added, per the outlet.
McMurtry is known for representing Nicholas Sandmann in lawsuits against major media outlets like The Washington Post and CNN.
Sandmann was dubbed the "the Covington Catholic kid" after a video showing him smirking at activists during a tense standoff near the Lincoln Memorial went viral. He later sued media outlets for defamation, claiming that they had portrayed him as a white nationalist.
Sandmann has encouraged Rittenhouse to do the same, citing the success of his legal actions against media organizations.
Rittenhouse, who fatally shot two men and injured a third in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in August 2020, was acquitted in November 2021 of five charges, including first-degree homicide. Rittenhouse and his mother, Wendy Rittenhouse, have accused several parties — from President Joe Biden to media outlets and celebrities — of "defaming" him.
Rittenhouse said on Wednesday that Johnny Depp's victory over Amber Heard in court was motivating him to pursue his own defamation lawsuits.
"Johnny Depp trial is just fueling me, you can fight back against the lies in the media, and you should!" he tweeted.
In February, Rittenhouse hinted that he might be looking sue media organizations. He told Fox News' Tucker Carlson that he was launching an initiative called The Media Accountability Project to raise funds to sue politicians, celebrities, and athletes.