Katherine M. Bolger

Partner

Kate is an experienced First Amendment and media litigator who has represented news and entertainment companies in a broad spectrum of content-related matters, ranging from investigative journalism to coverage of celebrities. In addition to defending media clients in court, Kate regularly counsels newspapers, magazines, and book publishers about pre-publication issues, and advises authors on contract, electronic publishing, and intellectual property matters.

Chambers USA reports that clients have described Kate as "incredibly bright, very strategic, and an exceptionally strong writer" who is "a very effective litigator" and "the lawyer I would want the most in a New York state court street fight." Before joining DWT, Kate was a partner at Levine Sullivan Koch & Schulz LLP.

Practice Highlights

Gubarev et al. v. BuzzFeed Inc. et ano.

Obtained dismissal of libel claim brought against BuzzFeed and Editor-in-Chief Ben Smith by Russian tech entrepreneur and web-hosting companies named in what is now known as the "Steele Dossier," which was published by BuzzFeed in January 2017. The court granted motion for summary judgment on the grounds that BuzzFeed's publication of the dossier was protected by the fair report privilege and the First Amendment. (S.D. Fla. 2018)

Cabello-Rondon v. Dow Jones & Company

Successfully represented Dow Jones in libel suit brought by a high-ranking Venezuelan official over a Wall Street Journal report on U.S. investigations into drug trafficking and money laundering in Venezuela. The 2nd Circuit affirmed the lower court's dismissal of the complaint on the grounds that plaintiff failed to plausibly plead actual malice, finding plaintiff's theory that The Wall Street Journal must have fabricated the anonymous government sources on which it relied to be "patently unbelievable." (2nd Cir. 2018)

Pullins v. Thomson Reuters Inc.

Successfully defended Reuters News & Media Inc. in a tort action arising from efforts by a Reuters journalist to speak with the plaintiff about a potential news article. The lawsuit challenged Reuters' standard newsgathering activities, and the Court held that the plaintiff's claims were "completely devoid of factual details and implausible on their face." Reuters News & Media Inc. prevailed on its motions to dismiss both the original and amended complaints. The case was dismissed with prejudice, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit affirmed. (S.D. Ind. 2021 & 2022, 7th Cir. 2023)

Leidig v. Buzzfeed, Inc.

Obtained dismissal of defamation claim brought against BuzzFeed by the owner of a Central European News, which BuzzFeed profiled in an article entitled "The King of Bullsh*t News." The district court granted our motion for summary judgment and the 2d Circuit affirmed. (S.D.N.Y. 2019; 2d Cir. 2020)

Coleman v. Home Box Office Inc. et al.

Represented HBO in a copyright infringement suit filed by a painter who alleged that his artwork was used without permission in the popular documentary "Slenderman." (E.D.N.Y. 2019)

Dershowitz v. Cable News Network, Inc.

Defending CNN in a defamation action brought by famed legal scholar Alan Dershowitz, who asserts that CNN distorted the arguments he made on the Senate floor during President Donald Trump's impeachment trial. Dershowitz claims that by playing a clip of his argument prior to commenting on it, CNN took his argument out of context, causing the public to believe that he had "lost his mind." Successfully obtained summary judgment dismissing the case. (S.D. Fla., 11th Cir. Ongoing)

Louisa v. Netflix, Inc., et al.

Represented defendants Netflix Inc., Netflix Worldwide Entertainment LLC, Jigsaw Productions LLC, Muddy Waters Productions LLC, Alex Gibney, Richard Perello, Stacey Offman, and Samantha Knowles in a defamation action brought by a local attorney in Massachusetts who claims that an episode in the Netflix series "Dirty Money" defamed him. (Mass. Sup. Ct. 2021)

*Denotes an attorney's experience prior to joining Davis Wright Tremaine

Admitted to Practice

New York, 1999
U.S. Supreme Court, 2004
U.S. Court of Appeals, 2nd Circuit, 2002
U.S. Court of Appeals, 3rd Circuit, 1999
U.S. Court of Appeals, 4th Circuit, 2014
U.S. Court of Appeals, 5th Circuit, 2005
U.S. Court of Appeals, 7th Circuit, 2007
U.S. Court of Appeals, 8th Circuit, 2015
U.S. Court of Appeals, 9th Circuit, 2014
U.S. Court of Appeals, 11th Circuit, 2004
U.S. District Court, District of Connecticut, 2007
U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois, 2017
U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, 1999
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York, 1999
U.S. District Court, Western District of New York, 2024
U.S. Tax Court, 2017

Education

J.D., University of Chicago Law School, 1998
B.A., History, University of Virginia, 1994, with high distinction
- Jefferson Scholar

Languages

French

Memberships & Affiliations

- Former Chair, Communications Committee, the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, 2017-2020
- Governing Committee, ABA Forum on Communications Law, 2014-2017
- ABA First Amendment and Media Litigation Committee, 2014-2017
- Former Co-chair, ABA Women in Communications Law Committee
- Former Chair, Media Law Resource Center, Entertainment Law Committee
- Adjunct Professor, Fordham University School of Law, 2015-present
- Instructor, New York University, School of Continuing and Professional Studies

Professional Recognition

- Named as one of "America's Leading Lawyers for Business" by Chambers USA in First Amendment Litigation (Nationwide), 2007-2024; Media and Entertainment: First Amendment Litigation (New York), 2007-2024; Received "Band 1" ranking for Media & Entertainment (New York), 2019-2024
- Named "Lawyer of the Year" in Media Law (New York), Best Lawyers, 2024
- Named as one of the "Best Lawyers in America" by Best Lawyers in Media Law, 2013-present; in Copyright Law, 2020-present; in Litigation - First Amendment, 2023-present
- Selected as a "New York Super Lawyer" in Media & Advertising and Entertainment & Sports, Thomson Reuters, 2014-2024
- Named as one of "500 Leading Global Entertainment, Sports & Media Lawyers" by Lawdragon, 2025
- Selected to "BTI Client Service All-Stars," BTI Consulting Group, 2024
- Named an "MVP of the Year" in Media & Entertainment, Law360, 2019
- Selected by Best Lawyers as New York City's "Lawyer of the Year" in Media Law, 2019