One Year Into the Pandemic: When Will We Have In-Person Conferences Again?
George FreemanSo if the site is great and the optimistic downward trend of cases and fatalities due to Covid continue, we should be all set, right? As lawyers well know, nothing is ever that easy.
Defamation Claims Brought by Art Fraudsters Dismissed
Sigmund D. Schutz and Peter G. CallaghanIn a case mixing the sale of forged paintings and claims of defamation, a New Hampshire Superior Court recently ruled that reporting by several news organizations about an art forgery lawsuit is protected by the substantial truth doctrine and the fair report privilege.
Barron’s Wins Dismissal of Prominent Securities Lawyer’s Defamation Complaint
Natalie J. Spears and Gregory R. NaronIn a victory for investigative journalism emphasizing New York law’s strong protection for headlines, Judge Paul Engelmayer of the Southern District of New York dismissed with prejudice all claims against Dow Jones and veteran reporter Bill Alpert in a defamation lawsuit brought by a prominent securities lawyer arising from an online Barron’s magazine article.
New York State Appellate Court Rejects Defamation and Right of Publicity
Michael J. GrygielAn intermediate appellate court in New York recently affirmed the dismissal of a complaint asserting a potpourri of tort claims against a community newspaper based on its publication of an archived photograph to illustrate a current news story.
Allegations of Scientific Misconduct Protected as Opinion or Substantially True
Kevin Shook and Ryan GoellnerThe court affirmed summary judgment for the defendant—another researcher who exposed alleged fraud and errors in Dr. Croce’s work—and clarified that Ohio defamation law can protect accusations of plagiarism and fraud when founded on disclosed facts or substantial truth.
Oklahoma Court SLAPPs Police Officer’s False Light Claim
Robert NelonIt is comforting to media and satisfying to their counsel when courts recognize accuracy, professionally achieved. One Oklahoma district court provided that comfort and satisfaction recently in Yates v. Gannett.
Maryland Federal Court Dismisses Nunes Advisor’s Defamation Lawsuit
Maxwell S. MishkinThe court dismissed Harvey’s complaint for failure to state a claim and lack of personal jurisdiction.
Warrantless Border Searches of Electronic Devices Constitutional
Jackson BuschThe First Circuit ruled this month that warrantless searches of electronic devices at the border do not violate the First or Fourth Amendments.
Eight Circuit Finds Police Officers’ Subjective Beliefs May Limit First Amendment Right to Film Them
Michael L. NeppleThe evolving First Amendment right to film the police is not absolute, according to the Eighth Circuit.
Thanks to Cameras, No Qualified Immunity for Cop Who Tear-Gassed Journalists During Ferguson Riots
Ross UfbergAn officer responding to protests in Ferguson, Missouri after the 2014 death of Michael Brown is subject to suit claiming he violated news media’s First Amendment rights.
Contempt and Suppression Down Under
Peter BartlettWhen the third most powerful man in the Vatican was convicted of molesting two choirboys by an Australian jury in December 2018, media companies scrambled worldwide. Yet in Australia, there was media silence on specific details of the case.
High Court Hands Privacy Victory to Meghan Markle in Battle with Mail on Sunday
Julian DarrallMr Justice Warby gave summary judgment against Associated Newspapers in respect of the privacy claim, and on the issues of subsistence and infringement of copyright, concluding in each case that there was no realistic prospect of ANL successfully defending those issues at trial.
Easier Said than Done? Recent Developments in Ontario’s Anti-SLAPP Law
Iris Fischer, Kaley Pulfer and Justin ManorykAfter several years of uncertainty around the interpretation and application of Ontario’s anti-SLAPP legislation, the past six months have brought a number of important developments.
Second Circuit Strikes Down Connecticut Law Sealing Judicial Records in Juvenile Felony Cases Transferred to Adult Criminal Court
Shannon Jankowski and Madeline LamoThe Hartford Courant argued that the law effectively required secret trials for teenagers accused of murder, rape, and other serious crimes, and seriously impeded its ability to inform readers about court proceedings.
Second Circuit: New York Police, Fire Unions Can’t ‘Bargain Away’ Public Records Disclosure Obligations
Madeline LamoA three-judge panel ruled that allegations of misconduct against New York City’s police officers, firefighters and correctional officers could be released to the public.
Eighth Circuit Unsealing Decision Leaves a Lot to be Desired
Ross UfbergWhile the opinion was unsealed, the motion to seal which precipitated the recent action was left under seal, and the court did not issue any explanation of its prior thinking or subsequent reversal of course.
Daily News Obtains Partial Unsealing of Plea and Sentencing Transcripts for Jeffrey Epstein’s Last Cellmate
Matthew LeishJudge Failla partially granted a motion by the Daily News to unseal transcripts and documents related to the plea agreement and sentencing of Efrain Reyes, who gained brief notoriety as the final cellmate of Jeffrey Epstein prior to Epstein’s suicide.
Senators Propose Substantial Revisions to Section 230’s Protections for Online Providers
Christopher W. Savage, Ambika Kumar Doran, and James RosenfeldIf passed, the Act would dramatically change the landscape of online liability.
Eighth Circuit Allows State Rep to Block Constituents from Campaign-Focused Twitter Account
Michael L. NeppleThe Eighth Circuit determined that an elected Missouri legislator did not violate the First Amendment when she blocked a constituent from her Twitter account because she operated it “in a private capacity, namely, as a campaigner for public office,” and, thus, not “under color of state law.”
The Colors on a Rubik’s Cube are Nonfunctional? Really?
Jeff HermesIn this article, I will focus on one aspect of the report: the magistrate’s ruling that the coloration of the Rubik’s Cube is not functional, and therefore eligible for trade dress protection. Because, what?
Reflecting on Larry Flynt: How an Instance of Censorship Sparked a Friendship
Clay CalvertUnsurprisingly, it was an instance of censorship that led me to meet Larry Flynt, the founder and publisher of Hustler magazine who passed away at age 78 in early February.
Letter to a Young Media Lawyer
Susan WeinerOn the last day of 2020 I retired from my position as General Counsel of the NBCUniversal News Group and Executive Vice President of NBCUniversal.
10 Questions to a Media Lawyer: Jeff Hunt
Jeffrey HuntUtah lawyer reflects on his legal education, career, COVID living and more.