you should read the wikipedia article on Dr Tim Ball.l Amongst other things when Andrew Weaver sued Ball for defamation the presiding judge's ruling stated:
... that Ball's words "lack a sufficient air of credibility to make them believable and therefore potentially defamatory" and concluded that the “article is poorly written and does not advance credible arguments in favour of Dr. Ball’s theory about the corruption of climate science. Simply put, a reasonably thoughtful and informed person who reads the article is unlikely to place any stock in Dr. Ball’s views..."
essentially the judge ruled that Ball was incapable of defaming Weaver since he (Ball) was incompetent in the topic at hand.
In another case Ball claimed he has earned the 1st PHD for climate science in Canada. Prf Dan Johnson of the University of Lethbridge challenged his credentials and Ball sued. Later in court Ball acknowledged "that his doctorate was not in climatology but rather in the broader discipline of geography" and subsequently withdrew his lawsuit.
Yet even today Ball repeats the original claim.
You know how to pick the winners Bob!