That's not really the reason. Even in a civil case, the first amendment certainly would apply to whatever laws allow the civil case to happen. However, the fir

That's not really the reason. Even in a civil case, the first amendment certainly would apply to whatever laws allow the civil case to happen. However, the first amendment is not absolute. Defamation is still a thing in the US. The first amendment creates a higher bar than many other countries (especially for public figures, but the victims in this case aren't public figures), but it is still possible.