A judge did not take Donald Trump’s tweets seriously — which saved him from a lawsuit. 
 
 On Monday, a libel case against Trump was dumped by a New York judge, who claimed because the president-elect uses “simplistic insults” like “wacko” and “loser” on Twitter, his “hyperbolic” comments just show his opinions and aren't based in truth or fact. 
 
 The lawsuit comes after Cheryl Jacobus, a political strategist, was on the receiving end of some Twitter insults thrown around by President-elect Donald Trump during his campaign. 
 
 Jacobus sued Trump for libel, claiming his tweets and his followers' responses damaged her reputation and professional opportunities. 
 
 Two of Trump's tweets listed in the suit were: 
 
 Great job on @donlemon tonight @kayleighmcenany @cherijacobus begged us for a job. We said no and she went hostile. A real dummy! @CNN — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 3, 2016 
 
 Really dumb @CheriJacobus. Begged my people for a job. Turned her down twice and she went hostile. Major loser, zero credibility! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 6, 2016 
 
 In the suit, Jacobus claims the tweets prompted online hate from Trump's followers, which included "demeaning, sometimes sexually charged, comments and graphics, including insults aimed at her professional conduct" and her experience and qualifications. Another tweet was an image of a “grossly disfigured face, and a depiction of (Jacobus) in a gas chamber with Trump standing nearby ready to push a button marked 'Gas.'" 
 
 Trump's tweets came after Jacobus said she was asked to interview for a campaign communications director position in May 2015 before Trump announced his candidacy. She said she didn't pursue the job because she didn't want to work for former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski. 
 
 @realDonaldTrump here are screenshots of the messages from your campaign asking me for two meetings https://t.co/FU7itmOrRr Stop lying — Cheri Jacobus (@CheriJacobus) February 6, 2016 
 
 The Hollywood Reporter posted the full decision to dismiss the case Monday after an October hearing in which Trump's lawyer, Lawrence Rosen, argued that "perception is reality." 
 
 According to the American Bar Association Journal, Judge Barbara Jaffe considered her ruling in "the spirit of the First Amendment" and considered Trump's statements "imprecise and hyperbolic political dispute cum schoolyard squabble." 
 
 She also said because Trump's comments were on Twitter, they should not be taken seriously. 
 
 "His tweets about his critics, necessarily restricted to 140 characters or less, are rife with vague and simplistic insults such as 'loser' or 'total loser' or 'totally biased loser,' 'dummy' or 'dope' or 'dumb,' 'zero/no credibility,' 'crazy' or 'wacko' and 'disaster,' all deflecting serious consideration," Jaffe wrote. 
 
 "His tweets ... are rife with vague and simplistic insults." 
 
 Ultimately, she concluded his "intemperate tweets" are "clearly intended to belittle and demean" the plaintiff. 
 
 She went on to explain how the quick Twitter hits aren't based in truth. "Indeed, to some, truth itself has been lost in the cacophony of online and Twitter verbiage to such a degree that it seems to roll of the national consciousness like water off a duck's back." 
 
 trump dodges a libel lawsuit by saying his tweets shouldn't be taken too literally because lol nothing matters https://t.co/wPlJYLVhYK — Maya Kosoff (@mekosoff) January 10, 2017 
 
 Looks like Trump can safely keep tweeting insults. 

 Trump wins dismissal of suit over nasty tweets 
 
 President-elect Donald Trump talks with reporters at Trump Tower in New York on Jan. 9, 2017. (Photo: Evan Vucci, AP) 
 
 A New York judge dismissed a lawsuit Tuesday brought by a GOP political consultant who says her business was harmed by a series of tweets and on-air appearances by Donald Trump and his campaign. 
 
 Cheri Jacobus, a longtime political consultant briefly in talks to join the campaign and went on to comment on the race, filed the $4 million suit in April. 
 
 Judge Barbara Jaffe ruled that the “heated rhetoric” amid a “particularly raucous Republican primary” served as important context for the tweets that were demeaning, but did not rise to the level of defamation. 
 
 In her 20-page ruling, Jaffe called Trump’s bombastic Twitter profile “rife with vague and simplistic insults such as ‘loser’ or ‘total loser’ or ‘totally biased loser,’ ‘dummy’ or ‘dope’ or ‘dumb,’ ‘zero/no credibility,’ ‘crazy’ or ‘wacko’ and ‘disaster,’ all deflecting serious consideration.” 
 
 On Feb. 5, Trump called Jacobus: “Major loser, zero credibility!” 
 
 Really dumb @CheriJacobus. Begged my people for a job. Turned her down twice and she went hostile. Major loser, zero credibility! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 6, 2016 
 
 The ruling will be appealed, said Jay Butterman, Jacobus’ attorney, who called it, “a sad day for free speech, a sad day for freedom of the press and sad day for democracy.” 
 
 “Today a court gave Trump a free pass to trample on the rights of free speech of any critic,” Butterman told USA TODAY. “What the court is doing is allowing defamation in the context of political speech—Trump can now eliminate his critics by dominating the media.” 
 
 Ultimately, Jaffe ruled Trump’s tweets veered into opinion and were not able to be measured as factual. 
 
 “Indeed, to some, truth itself has been lost in the cacophony of online and Twitter verbiage to such a degree that it seems to roll off the consciousness like water off a duck’s back,” Jaffe wrote. 
 
 Trump had about 75 lawsuits open as of Election Day. 
 
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– Donald Trump's tweets are "intemperate" and "rife with vague and simplistic insults" but he has every right to keep firing them off, a New York judge has decided. Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Barbara Jaffe dismissed a libel suit from GOP strategist Cheryl Jacobus this week, ruling that Trump's tweets are protected free speech, Mashable reports. Jacobus filed the $4 million lawsuit last year after Trump called her a "major loser" and a "real dummy" in response to her criticism of his campaign's lack of transparency on financing. Trump's "intemperate tweets" are rife with insults including "'total loser' or 'totally biased loser,' 'dummy' or 'dope' or 'dumb,' 'zero/no credibility,' 'crazy' or 'wacko' and 'disaster,' all deflecting serious consideration," Jaffe wrote in her decision. Trump clearly intended to "belittle and demean" Jacobus, the judge wrote, but his tweets should be treated as opinion, not fact. "Truth itself has been lost in the cacophony of online and Twitter verbiage to such a degree that it seems to roll off the national consciousness like water off a duck's back," she wrote. Jacobus plans to appeal. "Today a court gave Trump a free pass to trample on the rights of free speech of any critic," her attorney told USA Today after the ruling. "What the court is doing is allowing defamation in the context of political speech—Trump can now eliminate his critics by dominating the media," he said, calling the ruling "a sad day for free speech, a sad day for freedom of the press, and a sad day for democracy."