Do we have secondary sources confirming this, specifically, lawyers in the case confirming this being brought up as evidence? If so, where is the public record of that?

What are CBSLocal's incentives? Can they push fearmongering without repercussions?

If this story is not true, where should we put the "flag" threshold? What are operational voting with money against stories like this ever, ever making HN frontpage again, and for the "news" industry to structurally reduce unfounded fearmongering?