Law Commons^™

Destroying Defamation, Leslie Y. Garfield Tenzer

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

Fake News is destroying defamation. The recent proliferation of rushed journalism, online conspiracy theories that almost every news story is, in fact, “Fake News,” have created a desert of veracity. Widespread public skepticism about even the most mainstream Internet reporting means plaintiffs will have difficulty convincing jurors that third parties believed any reported statement to be true. Without such proof, it is almost impossible for a plaintiff to prove the elements of defamation.

To establish defamation, a plaintiff must show defendant published an assertion of fact that is false and damages the plaintiff's reputation Hyperbolic language or other indications that …

Why The Actual Malice Test Should Be Eliminated, John M. Kang

Faculty Scholarship

Under traditional common law, a plaintiff could recover damages for libel if she could prove that the defendant had published a factual statement about the plaintiff that tended to injure the plaintiff’s reputation. The plaintiff, at most, was required to show negligence to recover damages for libel. While the amount of money that any given plaintiff could recover in damages was uncertain, one thing was clear: the First Amendment would not protect libel. In 1964, in New York Times Co. v. Sullivan, the Supreme Court radically upended this received view of libel as unprotected speech. According to Sullivan, …

Hard Truths: Libel By Implication Doctrine And The Need For A Uniform Standard, Carly Ryan

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

Since the inception of the tort of libel, claims against the media have created a tension between the First Amendment’s commitment to a free press and the desire to prevent reputational harm to individuals. Further complicating the issue are cases in which plaintiffs allege that literally true statements are defamatory based on implications created through juxtapositions or omissions of facts. This is known as libel by implication, a tort currently governed by states through a patchwork of varying standards and interpretations. Not only does the lack of uniformity leave journalists without due notice of the law in the jurisdictions they …

Rethinking Absolute Immunity From Defamation Suits In Private Quasi-Judicial Proceedings, Nat Stern

The University of New Hampshire Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Duty Not To Continue Distributing Your Own Libels, Eugene Volokh

Notre Dame Law Review

Say something I wrote about you online (in a newspaper, a blog, or a social media page) turns out to be false and defamatory. Assume I wasn’t culpable when I first posted it, but now I’m on notice of the error.

Am I liable for defamation if I fail to remove or correct the erroneous material? Surprisingly, courts haven’t settled on an answer, and scholars haven’t focused on the question. Libel law is stuck in a time when newspapers left the publisher’s control as soon as they are printed—even though now an article or a post can be seen on …

Libel By Omission Of Exculpatory Legal Decisions, Eugene Volokh

Notre Dame Law Review

Is it libelous to write that someone has been convicted of a crime, but to fail to mention that the conviction has been reversed? Or to write that someone has been charged, without mentioning the acquittal? The answers, it turns out, are often “yes”; this Article lays out the precedents that so conclude.

Shenanigans (Internet Takedown Edition), Eugene Volokh

Utah Law Review

Protecting one’s own reputation and livelihood—whether protecting it against lies, against opinions, or against the truth—is likely high on many people’s willing-to-lie-for lists. Making money is, too. Yet though I don’t think of myself as naïve on this score, the sheer magnitude and brazenness of these schemes surprised me. My sense is that it surprised many of my colleagues. Perhaps it surprised you. And this reminder of just how common fraud can be might help keep us alert to shenanigans in many other fields as well— and might help us design systems that deal better with such risks.

Campus Free Speech In The Mirror Of Rising Anti-Semitism, Harry G. Hutchison

St. Mary's Law Journal

Abstract forthcoming.

Free Speech In The Balance: Judicial Sanctions And Frivolous Slapp Suits, Shine Sean Tu, Nicholas F. Stump

Loyola of Los Angeles Law Review

The balance between free speech and access to courts in defamation tort actions is fraught with public policy concerns. On one hand, plaintiffs should have unencumbered access to the justice system to remedy real harms brought upon them by defamatory statements. However, defamation suits should not be wielded to suppress the constitutionally protected free speech rights of news organizations and of concerned citizens that are vital for well-functioning democracies. This Article argues for a new type of remedy, namely enhanced Rule 11 attorney sanctions, such as suspension or debarment, that should be available to defendants of defamation suits brought by …

A Perfect Storm: Race, Ethnicity, Hate Speech, Libel And First Amendment Jurisprudence, Michael J. Cole

South Carolina Law Review

No abstract provided.

What The Lawyers Who Sue The Press Think Of The Press, And Media Law, Jonathan Peters

Popular Media

“HAVE A SCORE TO SETTLE WITH THE PRESS? Charles Harder, the media lawyer who ground Gawker.com to dust, is your man.”

That was the subhead of a GQ profile of Harder published in 2016, after he won a $140 million jury verdict for Hulk Hogan against Gawker (later settled for $31 million). The profile went on to say that Harder had established himself “as perhaps the greatest threat in the United States to journalists, the First Amendment, and the very notion of a free press.”

Whether or not that’s true, Harder has said it would be “awesome” if the Gawker …

Shockingly Evil: The Cruel Invasive Appropriation And Exploitation Of Victims' Rights Of Publicity In The True Crime Genre, Ashton Williams

Journal of Intellectual Property Law

America's obsession with the true crime genre has evoked an explosion in volume and variety of recreations of the country's most prolific crimes. The never-ending re-enactments constantly barrage the victims and family members of those who suffered at the hands of the killers. The nightmare of the crimes they already endured never cease, as victims are forced to relive their worst torments via movies, television shows, and podcasts discussing the crimes. Producers and directors are currently free to appropriate and capitalize off of individuals' images without so much as a consultation. From dramatic depictions by actors to docuseries evaluations of …

Review Law: New York Defamation Applied To Online Consumer Reviews, Ian Lewis-Slammon

St. John's Law Review

(Excerpt)

In early July 2017, Michelle Levine booked her first and only appointment with gynecologist Dr. Joon Song for an annual exam. Ms. Levine had a dissatisfying experience with the office. She claims that Dr. Song’s office did not follow up with her for almost a month, and that when she called to ask about the results of a blood test, Dr. Song’s staff falsely informed her that she tested positive for herpes. To top it off, Ms. Levine alleges that the office overcharged her. Following this experience, Ms. Levine did what many others do when dissatisfied with a product …

Guess Who? Reducing The Role Of Juries In Determining Libel Plaintiffs' Identities, Nat Stern

St. John's Law Review

(Excerpt)

During the nomination hearings for now-Justice Brett Kavanaugh, considerable attention was drawn to a high school friend’s memoir featuring a fellow student named “Bart O’Kavanaugh.” By the memoir’s account, “O’Kavanaugh” in one episode blacked out—apparently from alcohol—on his return from a party. For any number of possible reasons, Justice Kavanaugh did not bring a libel suit against the book’s author. If he had, however, a crucial threshold issue—preceding questions of falsity and intent—would have been whether the memoir’s portrayal of “O’Kavanaugh” amounted to a false depiction of Kavanaugh himself. In the parlance of defamation doctrine, Justice Kavanaugh would have …

Partisipasi Perempuan Dalam Proses Pengambilan Keputusan Di Dewan Adat Terkait Dengan Penyelesaian Kasus-Kasus Kekerasan Terhadap Perempuan: Kisah Dari Atambua, Sumba Timur, Rote Dan Labuan Bajo, Lidwina Inge Nurtjahyo

Jurnal Hukum & Pembangunan

Based on Convention on Elimination of Discrimination Against Women, especially in Articles 2c, 5a, 7b and c, 15 (1) and (2) women and men are equal. If there are any discriminations, the states which have ratified the Convention shall eliminate the discriminations from rules or tradition or practices. Women in some indigenous communities have some limitation in decision making process, even in the process to get solution in violence aghaainst women cases. For examples in Rote, Labuan Bajo, East Sumba and Atambua (East Nusa Tenggara) women have limited access to the decision-making process in indigenous forums even in cases of …

Pencemaran Nama Baik Dan Penghinaan Melalui Media Teknologi Informasi Komunikasi Di Indonesia Pasca Amandemen Uu Ite, Anton Hendrik Samudra

Jurnal Hukum & Pembangunan

The amendment of the ITE Law is conducted to provide better legal certainty. This is an effort to respond to society development and aims to provide better legal protection and justice. The implementation of freedom of expression in the media of Information Communication Technology (ICT) affecting the number of defamation. With the amendment of ITE law, it is necessary to examine the nature of defamation offense and libel through ICT media.

The Case Against Expanding Defamation Law, Yonathan A. Arbel, Murat C. Mungan

Faculty Scholarship

It is considered axiomatic that defamation law protects reputation. This proposition—commonsensical, pervasive, and influential—is faulty. Underlying this fallacy is the failure to appreciate audience effects: the interaction between defamation law and members of the audience.

Defamation law seeks to affect the behavior of speakers by making them bear a cost for spreading untruthful information. Invariably, however, the law will also affect members of the audience, as statements made in a highly regulated environment tend to appear more reliable than statements made without accountability. Strict defamation law would tend to increase the perceived reliability of statements, which in some cases can …

The Defamation Injunction Meets The Prior Restraint Doctrine, Doug Rendleman

Scholarly Articles

In Near v. Minnesota, the Supreme Court added the injunction to executive licensing as a prior restraint. Although the Near court circumscribed the injunction as a prior restraint, it approved criminal sanctions and damages judgments. The prior restraint label resembles a death sentence. This article maintains that such massive retaliation is overkill.

A judge’s injunction that forbids the defendant’s tort of defamation tests Near and prior restraint doctrine because defamation isn’t protected by the First Amendment. Arguing that the anti-defamation injunction has outgrown outright bans under the prior restraint rule and the equitable Maxim that “Equity will not enjoin defamation” …

Rwu First Amendment Blog: David Logan's Blog: Discovering Trump 06-22-2018, David A. Logan

Law School Blogs

No abstract provided.

Chasing Echos Of Obscenity Exceptionalism In Copyright: Recent Swarm Cases, James R. Alexander

Chicago-Kent Journal of Intellectual Property

Recent district court rulings regarding copyright violations using BitTorrent file-sharing protocols to illegally download pornographic films have been numerous and largely procedural. But some have casually included language challenging the established doctrine of content neutrality in copyright, noting that obscenity exceptionalism might still be within the court’s policy discretion. This article traces these recent rulings and finds little substantive argument on behalf of exceptionalism other than its long-time understanding under common law, now abandoned. It also examines the critical early nineteenth century common law rulings considered seminal in establishing content exceptionalism in copyright and finds that current court references to …

Bankruptcy Court Jurisdiction: Are Libel And Slander Personal Injury Torts?, Joseph Collini

Bankruptcy Research Library

(Excerpt)

A bankruptcy court may adjudicate tort claims, including libel and slander against a debtor, if it concludes that it has jurisdiction over those claims. The statutes governing a bankruptcy court’s jurisdiction, including title 11 of the United States Code (“The Bankruptcy Code”) and title 28 of the United States Code, are ambiguous. Consequently, the bankruptcy courts are divided as to their jurisdiction over libel and slander claims.

At the heart of this issue is the personal injury tort exception under 28 U.S.C.A. §157(b). The exception specifically limits the jurisdiction of the bankruptcy courts and states that personal injury torts …

Group Defamation, Power, And A New Test For Determining Plaintiff Eligibility, Jeffrey Greenwood

Fordham Intellectual Property, Media and Entertainment Law Journal

In the fall of 2014, Rolling Stone Magazine published an article describing the rape of a woman at a University of Virginia fraternity house. The story turned out to be false, and members of the fraternity sued for defamation. The suit raises an interesting question: under what circumstances may anonymous individual members of the fraternity recover? This Note describes the case, related common and constitutional law, as well as differences in group defamation doctrine across jurisdictions. After detailing problems with the existing paradigm, the Note proposes a new method for performing the analysis.

The Laws Of Image, Samantha Barbas

Samantha Barbas

We live in an image society. Since the turn of the 20th century if not earlier, Americans have been awash in a sea of images throughout the visual landscape. We have become highly image-conscious, attuned to first impressions and surface appearances, and deeply concerned with our own personal images – our looks, reputations, and the impressions we make on others. The advent of this image-consciousness has been a familiar subject of commentary by social and cultural historians, yet its legal implications have not been explored. This article argues that one significant legal consequence of the image society was the evolution …

Barnett Vs. Corson. Libel—Truth Of Statement As A Defence—Malice—Act Of Apr. 11, 1901, Construed

Dickinson Law Review (2017-Present)

No abstract provided.

Rwu First Amendment Blog: David Logan's Blog: Donald Trump And The Full-Employment-For-Lawyers Presidency, David A. Logan

Law School Blogs

No abstract provided.

Rwu First Amendment Blog: David Logan's Blog: Moguls And The Media 1-2-2017, David A. Logan, Roger Williams University

Law School Blogs

No abstract provided.

The Battle Over Stockholders Voice: A Critique Of Agar V. Judy And The Standard Of Review Problem In Manipulation Of Stockholders’ First Amendment Rights, Yair Y. Even-Tal

South Carolina Journal of International Law and Business

No abstract provided.

Arbitration For The “Afflicted” — The Viability Of Arbitrating Defamation And Libel Claims Considering Ipso’S Pilot Program, Emma Altheide

Journal of Dispute Resolution

Filing suit for defamation or libel is signing up for an expensive and time-consuming endeavor. If it proceeds to trial, this type of litigation comes with high costs for both sides: potentially millions of dollars in legal fees, and years of court battles. Average judgments against defendant publishers are high, often because uncapped punitive damages are available. Plaintiffs may wait years to receive a judgment, only to spend a significant portion on attorneys’ fees. Given the inefficiency of the courts in handling defamation and libel claims, how might an alternative forum provide for a quicker process, with lower costs for …

Thinking In The Box In Legal Scholarship: The Good Samaritan And Internet Libel, Benjamin C. Zipursky

Journal of Legal Education

No abstract provided.

Millennials, Equity, And The Rule Of Law: 2014 National Lawyers Convention, How First Amendment Procedures Protect First Amendment Substance, Erik S. Jaffe, Aaron H. Caplan, Robert A. Destro, Todd P. Graves, Alan B. Morrison, Eugene Volokh, David R. Stras

Catholic University Law Review

A panel, at the National Lawyers Convention, discussed procedure as it relates to First Amendment rights. The panel set forth how First Amendment procedures have historically protected First Amendment substance and discussed modern applications of the issue. For example, the prior restraint doctrine, overbreadth doctrine, the allocation of the burden of proof and relaxation of ripeness rules have important implications for challenging restrictions on speech and defending against libel and defamation.

The interaction of free speech and due process is often seen in litigation involving civil harassment orders, or civil protection orders. In many jurisidictions the definition of harassment permits …