Court extends fair comment privilege

Article Abstract:

The US Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit upheld a lower court's dismissal of a libel suit against an employer who fired employees after investigating them for drug use and selling. The company released a statement in response to media inquiries about the investigation. The fired employees sued, claiming they had been libeled and the company had published the statement maliciously. Both the federal district and circuit courts disagreed, however, ruling that the state's law recognized a qualified privilege in publishing statements made in good faith.

---

Utah Supreme Court sends libel case back to trial

Article Abstract:

The Utah Supreme Court has remanded a libel case for trial, stating that there were issues of fact to be decided by a jury and that the court erred in summarily dismissing the case. A newspaper reported on a disciplinary investigation of a nurse and claimed that the fair report privilege applied. The court stated, however, that because the source of one statement of the report was in question, the case should be heard by a jury.

Investigations, Administrative agencies, Government agencies

---

$550,000 verdict against Fortune reversed

Article Abstract:

The US Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit has ruled in favor of Fortune magazine, in a libel suit filed against it. Fortune had published an article on an investigation of safety problems at the Tennessee Valley Authority's (TVA) nuclear power program. A TVA specialist sued for libel and won in a lower court. But the 6th Circuit reversed, stating there was not enough evidence to prove malice on the part of the magazine.

Similar abstracts:

• Abstracts: Court expands fair report privilege to private individuals. State high court allows use of 'wire service' defense in libel suits
• Abstracts: Theory and documentation. Resources for investigating. The high hurdles of the FOIA: is the deteriorating situation a reason to quit filing requests?
• Abstracts: Polluting the universe. Seldon's psychohistory. Been there, done that, but should we do it again?
• Abstracts: Circuits split on release of new census figures. Commerce refuses to release recalculated census figures. Court orders access to land data bank
• Abstracts: New attitudes for new frontiers. Inappropriate technology

This website is not affiliated with document authors or copyright owners. This page is provided for informational purposes only. Unintentional errors are possible.