After spending two years and more than $100,000 pursuing a defamation lawsuit against me, the New York Supreme Court threw out the case brought by right-wing movie theater chain owner Al Bulay. Bulay is the majority owner of Lyceum Cinemas in Red Hook, Roosevelt Cinemas in Hyde Park, New Paltz Cinemas, Starr Theater of St. Johnsbury, and Bennington Cinemas.

Thank you to everyone who supported me as I fought this frivolous lawsuit. Thanks to donations of time, money, and legal expertise, I am emerging from this battle financially whole. A huge shout-out to my friend and attorney, Michael Treybich of Treybich Law who did a fabulous job defending me, facing off against a large firm of expensive and experienced attorneys.

“The dismissal will spare many witnesses and victims the ordeal of reliving their experiences with Mr. Bulay at trial,” said Munn’s attorney Michael Treybich of Treybich Law. “It establishes that the question of whether a local businessperson is racist and homophobic is a matter of public interest and protected by NYS Civil Rights law.”

As I’ve said from the beginning, everyone has the right to their opinions and, thanks to the First Amendment, can shout them from the rooftops (or their movie theater Facebook pages) if they wish. But with that right to spout off in public comes the possibility of public criticism for those views.

And when you use your business to spread those views, there is the possibility that people choose to go elsewhere with their hard-earned money.