Libel

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• Libel

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• Introduction
• 1. What is Libel and Why Do We Have Such Laws?
• 2. Libel is a Continual Problem for the Media
• --Nature of the American press
• --Libel law is complicated
• --Cases are expensive
• 3. What well cover

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• A. Establishing a Case
• 1. Prerequisite Publication
• --What constitutes publication?
• --Whos the publisher and therefore responsible?
• protection for "mere" distributors
• online services are not publishers for simply
  hosting or relaying messages from other
  information providers (sec. 230 of Communications
  Decency Act)

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• 2. Prereq Identification
• --Need not be named
• --ID exists in small but not large groups
• --ID can occur in works of fiction
• 3. Prereq Defamation
• --Types of defamatory charges
• --General rules

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• 4. Prereq Falsity
• --Is the defamatory part of story substantially
  false?
• --When published version is compared with
  accurate version, does it leave a false
  impression
• --Accurate attribution to a source not enough

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• B. Fault and the Constitutional Privilege
• 1. Significance of a Constitutional Protection
• 2. Origins of a Constitutional PrivilegeNew York
  Times v. Sullivan (1964)
• --Civil rights group places editorial ad with
  factual mistakes

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The N.Y. Times ad, with some mistakes, that
prompted the libel suit.
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• 2. Times v. Sullivan - contd
• --Supreme Court rules, 9-0, that
• --New rule public officials have to

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• 3. Extending Sullivan Doctrine to Public Figures
  Curtis Publishing Co. v. Butts AP v. Walker
  (1967)
• --Not officials but public figures
• --Actual malice in Butts but not Walker

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• 4. Gertz v. Welch (1974) Restores Private Person
  to Libel Law
• --Private persons have to prove only negligence
  unless states prefer tougher standard of fault
• --Why protect private person's reputation?
• --Actual malice still necessary to win punitive
  damages

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• 5. Who Are Public Officials? (Actual Malice)
• --Have substantial responsibility
• --If low level, story relates to their job

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• 6. Who Are Public Figures? (Actual Malice)
• --All-purpose public figures
• --Limited-purpose public figures

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• 7. Fault Establishing Actual Malice
• --By inquiring into journalistic process
  (Herbert)
• --Defendant had serious doubts about truth
  (Burnett)
• --Ignored contradictory evidence (Brown
  Williamson)
• --Violated integrity of quotes (Masson)

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• 8. Fault Ambiguity of Negligence Standard
• --Variability among states
• --Reasonable person exercising ordinary care

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• C. Libel Defenses,
• Damages and Strategies
• 1. Traditional or Common Law Defense Truth

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• 2. Traditional Defense Privileged Communications
• --Participants in official proceedings have
  absolute privilege
• --Qualified privilege for press derives from
  absolute if its

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• 3. Protection of Opinion
• --Traditional defense fair comment and criticism
• --Obvious exaggerations
• --Distinguish facts (unprotected) from pure
  opinion (protected) by determining

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• 4. Statute of Limitations
• 5. Jurisdictions
• --Worst case for press suit filed almost
  anywhere message circulates
• --Internet cases thus far jurisdiction thats
  the focus of story or where plaintiff lives and
  reputation hurt

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• 6. Damages
• --Compensation for reputation and monetary loss
• --Punitive damages punish defendant
• 7. Retraction and Other Mitigating Factors

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• 8. Strategies in Defending a Libel Suit
• --Before publication
• --Settlement?
• --Discovery stage
• --Seek summary judgment
• --Jury selection
• --Plaintiff presents case
• --Defense presents case--tactics
• --Judge's jury instructions
• --Appeals

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• 9. Trash Torts to Get Around Libel

--Intentional infliction of emotional
distress --Attack newsgathering process
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• 10. Reforming Libel Law