Headline alone can be enough for defamation claim
Article Abstract:
The US Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, in Kaelin v. Globe Communications, reversed the district court's dismissal of Kato Kaelin's defamation suit against the National Examiner, a tabloid newspaper. Kaelin claimed a headline libeled him by implying the police suspected him of the murders for which O.J. Simpson was acquitted. The Court ruled a reasonable jury could find the actual malice required for defamation suits by public figures like Kaelin.
Publication Name: News Media & the Law
Subject: Literature/writing
ISSN: 0149-0737
Year: 1999
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Failure to verify comments doesn't show recklessness
Article Abstract:
The South Carolina Supreme Court ruled in Elder v. Gaffney Ledger, Inc. that a newspaper's failure to investigate an anonymous accusation before publication did not rise to the level of a reckless disregard of the truth. The ruling overturned a jury verdict for a police chief who was allegedly being paid off by drug dealers.
Publication Name: News Media & the Law
Subject: Literature/writing
ISSN: 0149-0737
Year: 2000
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- Abstracts: Courts reexamine access to jury information: Missouri, Ohio high courts affirm presumptive right of access. District attorney petitions appeals court to vacate judge's order permitting 'Frontline' to tape jury
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