A federal judge sided with Bill Maher and HBO in rejecting right wing activist Laura Loomer‘s defamation lawsuit against the host, concluding that she had not met the threshold for proving that he acted with actual malice.

Loomer sued in 2024 after Maher, on one of his shows, quipped that he thought she was maybe “in an arranged relationship to affect the election because she’s very close to Trump. She’s 31, looks like his type.”

Maher added, “We did an editorial here a few years ago … it was basically, who’s Trump f*cking? Because I said, you know, it’s not nobody. He’s been a dog for too long, and it’s not Melania. I think we may have our answer this week. I think it might be Laura Loomer.”

U.S. District Judge James Moody wrote that because the comments were “made by a comedian, Maher, about a public figure, Loomer, during a time when the environment was rife with jokes and speculation about Loomer’s relationship with President Trump. Because no reasonable person would take the Episode as Maher commenting on facts and because Plaintiff has not proved Defendants acted with actual malice, or that she suffered damages, Defendants are entitled to summary judgment in their favor.”

Loomer had sought more than $150 million in damages.

More to come.