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LOS ANGELES (AP) \u2014 A California judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by an Indigenous tribe<\/a> in the Brazilian Amazon against The New York Times<\/a> and TMZ that claimed the newspaper\u2019s reporting on the tribe\u2019s first exposure to the internet led to its members being widely portrayed as technology-addled and addicted to pornography. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n The suit was filed in May by the Marubo Tribe of the Javari Valley, a sovereign community of about 2,000 people in the Amazon rainforest. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Tiana J. Murillo on Tuesday sided with the Times, whose lawyers argued in a hearing Monday that its coverage last year was fair and protected by free speech. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n TMZ argued that its coverage, which followed the Times\u2019 initial reporting, addressed ongoing public controversies and matters of public interest. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n The suit claimed stories by TMZ and Yahoo amplified and sensationalized the Times\u2019 reporting and smeared the tribe in the process. Yahoo was dismissed as a defendant earlier this month. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n Murillo wrote in her ruling that though some may \u201creasonably perceive\u201d the Times\u2019 and TMZ\u2019s reporting as \u201cinsensitive, disparaging or reflecting a lack of respect, the Court need not, and does not, determine which of these characterizations is most apt.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/div>\n The judge added that \u201cregardless of tone, TMZ\u2019s segment contributed to existing debate over the effects of internet connectivity on remote Indigenous communities.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cWe are pleased by the comprehensive and careful analysis undertaken by the court in dismissing this frivolous lawsuit,” Danielle Rhoades Ha, a spokesperson for the Times, said in a statement Wednesday to The Associated Press. “Our reporter traveled to the Amazon and provided a nuanced account of tension that arose when modern technology came to an isolated community.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/div>\n Attorneys for TMZ did not immediately respond to an email request for comment Wednesday. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n Plaintiffs in the lawsuit included the tribe, community leader Enoque Marubo and Brazilian journalist and sociologist Flora Dutra, who were both mentioned in the June 2024 story<\/a>. Both were instrumental in bringing the tribe the internet connection, which they said has had many positive effects including facilitating emergency medicine and the education of children. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n The lawsuit sought at least $180 million, including both general and punitive damages, from each of the defendants. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n Messages seeking comment from attorney N. Micheli Quadros, who represents the tribe, Marubo and Dutra were not immediately answered Wednesday. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n