# Hasan Piker suing Scott Jennings for $72 million **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 28, 2026, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hasan-piker-suing-scott-jennings-for-72-million/1034206 "2026-10-28T03:05:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2026, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hasan-piker-suing-scott-jennings-for-72-million/1034206/21 "2026-10-28T14:11:44Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Do you mean sponsoring Jennings? No? Why would I? Jennings is a home grown dumbass employed by CNN. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2026, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hasan-piker-suing-scott-jennings-for-72-million/1034206/22 "2026-10-28T14:14:05Z")
Why would anyone “sponsoring” the plaintiff be relevant? ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2026, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hasan-piker-suing-scott-jennings-for-72-million/1034206/23 "2026-10-28T14:33:03Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > But I will say: I’ve seen him make appearances on the BBC, MS Now, NPR etc, and I think often the presenters are surprised; Hasan just calmly explains his positions, which are popular and defensible positions to take, and the “crazy radical” that they had anticipated turns out to have been propaganda. Well, yes, that’s part of his strategy. On mainstream platforms he is mask on, pretending to be a Social Democrat who “just wants healthcare you guys”. But as a regular viewer of his stream, you should know that he’s actually a self described Marxist-Lenninist fan of Mao Zedong who is purposefully trying to radicalize Progressives further down the ML pipeline, as he laid out on The Deprogram podcast: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/NBrC62rPoIw/maxresdefault.jpg "Episode 74: Turkish Lore and The Poverty Cult (Ft. @HasanAbi)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBrC62rPoIw) Hasan describes his own propaganda in these terms: > [@](#): > > You’re describing the reason why so many people simultaneously consider me to be a Democratic party mouthpiece, or a SuccDem, or whatever the fuck, but also a threat to America as well, because I, I do, just like you said, I do advocate for Social Democratic reforms, and I do think that in order to develop any kind of mechanism of pushback, a robust labor force that has any kind of, you know, speaking power, any kind of fighting power, to strike at the heart of, the imperial core where value’s generated, I think that in the short term, in order to combat against that, **you have to advocate for a much lighter form of propaganda** , despite, you know, **I perfectly understand that Social Democracies benefit tremendously from American imperialism, western imperialism, and would not exist in the way that they do without such atrocities committed, right**? But, you know, if you want America - in the way that I feel about it - **if you want America to get out of the way for places with more revolutionary potential to do what they would normally do** , I think that, you know, one thing you have to do is **advocate for a lighter form - while simultaneously still doing agitative propaganda that goes beyond, you know, Social Democratic ideas.**" The host, whose avatar is fucking Lenin, then praises him: > [@](#): > > I just wanted to like put emphasis on the **exact point of the so-called radicalization funnel where for example Hassan and JT catch them while they’re young** as they say uh and then they start looking into this, uh, new idea et cetera et cetera and then move forwards through the funnel get more and more informed **get more and more radicalized and so on can only work and can absolutely utilize for example the stuff that, uh, that Hassan does.** > > Because Hassan does one very particular thing that, uh, social Democrats that for example would never call to this podcast - or we would give a lot of shit if they did - because they do is they cut the funnel from both sides. What what do I mean by this? They introduce people to, you know, lukewarm socialist ideas, etc etc, and then they want keep them there, yeah, right. **Well, whenever Hassan introduces people to socialist ideas, yes the lukewarm not so scary sounding, uh, ones** , you know **keeping your power levels low, it’s, uh, hidden and so on and so on…** He does not stop them from progressing through the funnel and getting additional and additional information and so on… **he doesn’t agitate against, for example, the Revolutionary perspective and so on and so on… That is the main difference, you know, you do your part in the funnel for the cause or whatever the fuck you wanna call it** , we’ll talk later about, you know, if what we’re doing actually does anything etc etc, but uh, as long as it you do not try to keep people exactly there where you where you want them and don’t want them to evolve etc then you’re doing in my humble opinion a great thing for the cause So, I’m just curious, @Mijin… As a regular viewer of Hasan, you’re undoubtedly _aware_ that this is what he does, _right_? Are you also “hiding your power level”? Or are you just so _stupid_ that you are a regular viewer of Hasan but you don’t realize what he is actually doing _despite him talking about it publically_? ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2026, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hasan-piker-suing-scott-jennings-for-72-million/1034206/24 "2026-10-28T14:34:35Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Why would anyone “sponsoring” the plaintiff be relevant? Because discovery in a civil lawsuit is a two way street. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2026, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hasan-piker-suing-scott-jennings-for-72-million/1034206/25 "2026-10-28T14:36:21Z")
How is it relevant to the question of whether the plaintiff was defamed by the defendant? ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2026, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hasan-piker-suing-scott-jennings-for-72-million/1034206/26 "2026-10-28T14:39:20Z")
It isn’t necessarily, but the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure are some of the most expansive in the world when it comes to what comes out during discovery. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2026, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hasan-piker-suing-scott-jennings-for-72-million/1034206/27 "2026-10-28T14:40:39Z")
I think the plaintiff’s attorneys will be working on contingency, so the plaintiff will not have to pay. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2026, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hasan-piker-suing-scott-jennings-for-72-million/1034206/28 "2026-10-28T14:41:33Z")
That was an autocorrect typo - expansive, not expensive. It has already been fixed. But the word “expensive” made no sense in context anyways, so I assume you already knew that. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2026, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hasan-piker-suing-scott-jennings-for-72-million/1034206/29 "2026-10-28T15:12:00Z")
Sorry, no, I didn’t know that you didn’t mean the word you used. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2026, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hasan-piker-suing-scott-jennings-for-72-million/1034206/30 "2026-10-28T15:21:02Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Of course in the meantime the defendant has to pay legal fees while the plaintiff is presumably on a contingency basis. Honest question: How does that work if the loser – either way – has to pay the winner’s attorney fees? On the one hand it seems fair. OTOH I can see a sudden inflation of fees that would put [Cosmic Inflation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmic_inflation) to shame. ---
**Author:** ![Thing.Fish](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thing.fish/32/9168_2.png) [@Thing.Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing.Fish)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2026, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hasan-piker-suing-scott-jennings-for-72-million/1034206/31 "2026-10-28T15:25:13Z")
No, the loser doesn’t generally have to pay the winner’s attorney fees, though a plaintiff might be ordered to do so in an extreme case where the lawsuit was obviously frivolous. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2026, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hasan-piker-suing-scott-jennings-for-72-million/1034206/32 "2026-10-28T15:28:34Z")
> [@Jasmine](#): > > > [@Thing.Fish](#): > > > > I question whether Hasan Piker’s “good name” is actually worth anywhere close to $72 million. > > Yeah, I’ve always wondered about how they arrive at some of these numbers. If anyone actually knows in this case, I’d appreciate a post. The number is the Complaint is arbitrary and meaningless. Many jurisdictions have prohibited putting a dollar figure in there (except in cases where you’re suing for xx dollars on a contract, or something like that). If you do have to put a number in there, you put in a big one. That way, if things go well, you don’t have to ask the jury for more than you put in your Complaint. Imagine the defense, “he sued us for $5 million. That’s how much _he_ said he was damaged. Now he’s asking you to award $10 million. Why?” ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2026, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hasan-piker-suing-scott-jennings-for-72-million/1034206/33 "2026-10-28T15:32:03Z")
But that could be part of a mutually agreed upon pretrial settlement, right? Basically, “Hey, I’m willing to settle for less before trial but, in doing so, I want my attorney fees paid up to this point.” ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2026, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hasan-piker-suing-scott-jennings-for-72-million/1034206/34 "2026-10-28T15:35:42Z")
Exactly. In thousands of hours of streams, the best that could be found is him saying he’s a democratic socialist and doesn’t lead with the policies that he thinks people aren’t ready for yet. OMG ! OMG ! OMG ! ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2026, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hasan-piker-suing-scott-jennings-for-72-million/1034206/35 "2026-10-28T15:37:46Z")
> [@Jasmine](#): > > Basically, “Hey, I’m willing to settle for less before trial but, in doing so, I want my attorney fees paid up to this point" Typically, the defense doesn’t care about how the money is allocated between the plaintiff and their lawyer. So, sure, it could settle for $5 million $10 million. And the lawyer would get a third (or whatever the deal is) ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2026, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hasan-piker-suing-scott-jennings-for-72-million/1034206/36 "2026-10-28T15:40:23Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > Exactly. In thousands of hours of streams, the best that could be found is him saying he’s a democratic socialist and doesn’t lead with the policies that he thinks people aren’t ready for yet. > > OMG ! OMG ! OMG ! Gotcha, so that’s you hiding your power level as well. I figured. He literally admits to funneling people towards Marxist-Lenninist ideology and fuckers like you run cover for him. Go fuck yourself. This is not different from a “Democratic Fascist” admitting that his goal is to funnel people towards Nazism and I’m sick and tired of apologists pretending otherwise. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2026, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hasan-piker-suing-scott-jennings-for-72-million/1034206/37 "2026-10-28T15:47:41Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > He literally admits to funneling people towards Marxist-Lenninist ideology Cite? ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2026, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hasan-piker-suing-scott-jennings-for-72-million/1034206/38 "2026-10-28T16:02:18Z")
Right; it’s not in the quote at all. As usual the “radical” nature of the “far left” needs us to try to infer something from a fairly benign quote, cherry-picked from years of streams. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2026, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hasan-piker-suing-scott-jennings-for-72-million/1034206/39 "2026-10-28T16:21:48Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > Right; it’s not in the quote at all. What isn’t? > [@Mijin](#): > > As usual the “radical” nature of the “far left” needs us to try to infer something from a fairly benign quote, cherry-picked from years of streams. …so are you denying that Hasan considers himself a Marxist? I just want you to be perfectly clear about that. And the quote isn’t “cerry picked”, you’re welcome to listen to the linked podcast episode if you think that I’ve misrepresented what Hasan was saying. > [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > think the plaintiff’s attorneys will be working on contingency I would have thought so but apparently Hasan is starting a fundraiser for the lawsuit. Sus… ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2026, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hasan-piker-suing-scott-jennings-for-72-million/1034206/40 "2026-10-28T16:42:15Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > so are you denying that Hasan considers himself a Marxist I’m saying that what you’ve quoted doesn’t support the claim you made. If you want to make a different claim then go ahead, and then cite it. > [@Babale](#): > > And the quote isn’t “cerry picked”, you’re welcome to listen to the linked podcast episode if you think that I’ve misrepresented what Hasan was saying I don’t think you understand what “cherry picking” means. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hasan-piker-suing-scott-jennings-for-72-million/1034206.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hasan-piker-suing-scott-jennings-for-72-million/1034206.md?page=3)