(CN) - A federal judge in San Francisco denied a Muslim advocacy group's bid to extract legal costs from nationally syndicated talk radio host Michael Savage, after Savage lost a lawsuit accusing the group of copyright infringement and racketeering.
"This is a huge victory for me, personally, but also for the rest of America who is afraid of this lawsuit-happy group of intimidators," Savage said.
U.S. District Judge Susan Illston ruled that the Council on American-Islamic Relations was not entitled to legal fees, because Savage's claim, though ultimately unsuccessful, were not meritless.
"While the court agreed with defendants' fair use argument, there were features of the decision which required analysis," Illston wrote.
Savage, whose real name is Michael Weiner, claimed the group misappropriated quotes and audio clips from his show, and used them to launch a public campaign urging advertisers to boycott "The Savage Nation."
He described CAIR as a "mouthpiece of international terror" that helped fund the Sept. 11 attacks. CAIR adamantly denied the claim.
Illston dismissed Savage's complaint, but ruled that he should not pay CAIR's legal fees.
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