A federal judge ruled that a lawsuit claiming President Trump Donald John TrumpTrump says he doesn't think he could've done more to stop virus spread Conservative activist Lauren Witzke wins GOP Senate primary in Delaware Trump defends claim coronavirus will disappear, citing 'herd mentality' MORE incited violence at a 2016 campaign rally in Louisville, Ky. can proceed, the Huffington Post reported.

Judge David J. Hale on Friday rejected the free speech defense in the suit against Trump, his campaign and three of its supporters.

The incident in question came in March 2016, when then candidate Trump yelled “get ‘em out of here” at a campaign event filled with protesters in the crowd.

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The protesters who brought the suit said Trump supporters attacked them at the rally.

"It is plausible that Trump’s direction to 'get 'em out of here' advocated the use of force. Unlike the statements at issue in the cases cited by the Trump Defendants, 'get 'em out of here' is stated in the imperative; it was an order, an instruction, a command," the judge wrote.

Trump last year blamed violence at his rallies on “bad dudes,” who are “really dangerous.”

“We have some protesters who are bad dudes,” he said at the time.

“They have done bad things, and they are really dangerous and get in there and start hitting people, and we had a couple big, strong, powerful guys doing damage to people. ... It’s usually the police, the municipal government, because I don’t have guards all over these stadiums. I mean, we fill up stadiums.”

A lawyer for Trump said the supporters in Kentucky were not acting on behalf of the Republican candidate.

Updated 4:51 p.m.