Union candidate ruled private figure, wins civil suit
Article Abstract:
The Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts ruled in Bowman v. Heller that a woman running for president of her local chapter of the Service Employees International Union was not a public figure or a limited purpose public figure. The lower court had awarded her $35,000 in a suit brought for defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress for distribution of images of her face superimposed on sexually explicit photos. Both courts rejected arguments that entering into a union election made her a public figure, which would have required that she prove actual malice.
Publication Name: News Media & the Law
Subject: Literature/writing
ISSN: 0149-0737
Year: 1995
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Story with error ruled 'substantially true.' (Arizona)
Article Abstract:
The Arizona Supreme Court has ruled in Read v Phoenix Newspapers Inc that a newspaper story that accurately reflects the incident reported, even though stated in legally incorrect terms, is not libelous. The court found that, because the underlying facts of the report were not at issue and readers would not detect any material difference, there was no libel. The plaintiff had appealed the dismissal of his case, but the court found the dismissal by summary judgment to be proper.
Publication Name: News Media & the Law
Subject: Literature/writing
ISSN: 0149-0737
Year: 1992
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Statements about developer's deals not sufficient for libel suit; reports of 'sleazy' dealings were hyperbole; 'main charges' were true, court rules
Article Abstract:
The Connecticut Supreme Court ruled in Lizotte v. Welker that real estate developer could not sue for libel because of newspaper material charging "sleazy" dealings with a zoning commission. The trial court decision, which was affirmed, had held that some of the articles contained expressions of opinion which were protected from the lawsuit and that the developer failed to deny the accuracy of some statements.
Publication Name: News Media & the Law
Subject: Literature/writing
ISSN: 0149-0737
Year: 1998
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