Case over alleged defamation by Oregon blogger heats up

A couple of legal heavyweights are joining the appeal of a $2.5 million judgment against an Oregon blogger accused of defaming the Obsidian Finance Group. An Oregon federal judge had ruled that the blogger was not a member of the media and not protected by Oregon’s shield law. -db From a commentary for the Citizens [...]

Dominican Republic sugar owners suffer setback in defamation case

A federal court of appeals said owners of Dominican Republic sugar cane plantations were public figures, making it more difficult for to prove they were defamed by a documentary film about the harsh treatment of Haitian laborers on the plantations. To prove defamation, the owners must show that documentary film makers acted with actual malice. [...]

Minnesota TV station loses million dollar libel judgment

A Minnesota jury found that an ABC affiliate station acted with reckless disregard for the truth and awarded a naturopathic healer $1 million in a defamation suit. The suit hung on the testimony of one of the healer’s clients that the healer had advised her to stop taking an anti-anxiety medication. The jury found the [...]

Oregon Twitter defamation case may be difficult to prove

In an unprecedented case in Oregon, a doctor is suing a blogger for stating incorrectly on Twitter that the doctor lost his medical license and his right to practice. In fact, the doctor was reprimanded for allegedly touching a female patient inappropriately and required to have a chaperone present when treating female patients. -db From [...]

Palin faces steep climb in proving ‘The Rogue’ defamation

Former Alaskan Governor and GOP vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin has threatened to sue Random House and author Joe McGinniss for false statements in an unauthorized biography, “The Rogue.” But lawyers specializing in libel say that as a public figure, Palin will have to meet the actual malice standard, showing  that McGinniss had malicious intent in [...]

Opinion: Celebrity defamation suits inundate courts

Megabuck libel suits filed by and against celebrities are burgeoning despite the low success rate, the huge lawyer fees and the bad publicity that inevitably arises from the additional attention brought by the lawsuits (Streisand effect). In a commentary in The Hollywood Reporter, Eriq Gardner suggests that a saner approach might be to play down [...]

Libel: Insurance executive files $60 million suit against Eliot Spitzer

A former insurance executive is suing former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer for a column in Slate.com on an insurance bid-rigging scandal that said the man was guilt of crimes. In fact, the executive’s conviction was thrown out of court before the column was published. The executive, William Gilman, said Spitzer was acting out of [...]

Fashion designer’s widow files $10 million defamation suit against Vanity Fair

Fashion designer Oleg Cassini’s widow, Marianne Nestor-Cassini,  alleges that Vanity Fair defamed her in a September article and is asking $10 million in damages from Conde Nast Publications. The complaint read that Nestor-Cassini tried to correct the record even before the article was published , “Upon becoming aware of the innuendos being made to plaintiff’s [...]

Federal appeals court reinstates defamation suit holding that broadcast omitted key details

A federal appeals court held that a West Virginia daycare owner could pursue a defamation suit against a television station for omitting the fact that alleged abuse was tied to a single incident of child-to-child contact. A trial court had found that for the station on the grounds that all statements in the broadcast were [...]

Publisher seeks reversal of $5 million defamation award

Publisher Thomson West has appealed a jury verdict awarding $5 million to two law professors after the company published a legal supplement under their names that the professors said was “a total ripoff.” The West attorneys admitted that they gave the supplement to an inexperienced editor who made errors, but that not meeting professional standards [...]

Federal judge dismisses Beckham libel suit over article alleging he paid for sex

A federal judge in Los Angeles ruled that  Touch magazine had not committed libel in an article alleging that soccer star David Beckham paid $10,000 for sex. The judge said in a one-page order that did not have a written opinion that the soccer player could not prove malicious intent. -db From the Courthouse News [...]

Free speech: Federal court rules ex- police chef’s rights violated

The 10th Circuit Appeals Court ruled that the city manager in Laramie, Wyoming violated a police chief’s free speech rights since her motivation in firing him was to punish him for filing a defamation lawsuit. -db Courthouse News Service August 30, 2010 By Nick McCann (CN) – The city manager in Laramie, Wyo., violated a [...]

Federal bankruptcy court finds culpable those linking to defamatory blog posts

A Texas bankruptcy judge ruled that when a defendant sent an e-mail linked to websites with defamatory statements about the business practices of a Texas mayor, the defendant could be held for defamation. -db Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press June 3, 2010 By Ellen Biltz A federal bankruptcy court in Texas became one [...]

Jury reinforces tenant that truth is defense in libel cases

In a closely watched trial, a Massachusetts jury found that a truthful mass e-mail criticizing an office supply company employee is not libelous because it was not sent with actual malice. A federal appeals court had found that the truth can be libelous. -DB The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press October 13, 2009 [...]