Law Commons^™

Libel And Slander-Liability Of A Telegraph Company For The Transmission Of A Defamatory Message

Michigan Law Review

It is surprising that despite the tremendous number of messages handled, covering almost every conceivable subject, the question of the liability of a telegraph company for the transmission of a defamatory message has arisen in but half a dozen jurisdictions. The earliest reported case, decided in 1858 when the law as to the tort liability of a corporation was still in the formative period, asserted the liability of the telegraph company on the sole ground that a corporation could be guilty of malice. Following a series of cases arising in the state and federal courts of Minnesota, a modern rule …