Coal Company Sues Talk Show Host

Coal company Murray Energy did not take kindly to HBO Sunday-night talk show host John Oliver’s segment on the energy industry, which asserted that coal jobs have decreased for decades, largely driven by alternative energy. Murray Energy has sued HBO and Oliver, saying the segment was a “false and malicious broadcast” with “defamatory statements.” Murray Energy CEO Robert Murray was personally mocked in the segment for suggesting that Obama-era regulations are to blame for the coal industry’s decline. Oliver said Murray looked like a “geriatric Dr. Evil.” The company’s suit says Oliver tried to embarrass Murray by making fun of his age and appearance, and making false statements about a 2007 collapse of a Utah mine, which killed nine miners.