Jury Awards $550K to Oveissi in Defamation Case
Table of Contents
Case Background
This case grew from a fractured relationship between two Iranian American men living in Connecticut. Shahryar Oveissi, a businessman and philanthropist, claimed that Michael Benjamin, an entrepreneur and website developer, had defamed him through a series of online publications.
The men had first met in 2004, when Oveissi supported Benjamin’s campaign for political office. Years later, in 2021, Benjamin reconnected with Oveissi, seeking financial backing for a relaunch of his company, Interactive Media Awards (IMA). Oveissi declined to invest but offered to connect him with other possible backers.
Shortly after, Benjamin published an online report and websites alleging corruption by Oveissi and his late father, General Gholam Ali Oveissi, a former commander in the Shah of Iran’s army.
Cause
Oveissi filed suit alleging defamation, invasion of privacy, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. He claimed Benjamin acted maliciously after failing to secure investment, creating defamatory websites and reports that attacked his family’s integrity and damaged his business reputation.
Benjamin admitted he wrote the report but denied defamation. He argued that his work was investigative journalism tied to historical research on Iranian corruption, carried out in collaboration with an activist group called The Mahin Project.
Injury
Oveissi said the publications caused severe emotional distress. He feared for his family’s safety, alerted police, and in
Continue Reading This Article
Subscribe to access this article and our entire library of legal content.