MediaLawLetter May 2006
Download PublicationMLRC
MLRC Letter to the House Intelligence Committee Regarding the Public Hearing
“Media’s Role and Responsibilities in Leaks of Classified Information”
Legislative: Three Proposed FOIA Exemptions 45
Ethics: The Ethics Nerd’s Guide to the Media Lawyer’s Ethics Library
REPORTERS PRIVILEGE
Cal. Ct. App.: California’s Shield Law Covers Websites
Court Quashes Subpoenas in Trade Secrets Litigation
O’Grady v. Superior Court
D.D.C.: D.C. Dist. Court Rejects Press’s First Amendment, Common Law Privilege Claims in Libby Criminal Case
U.S. v. Libby
US Senate: New Federal Shield Law Bill Introduced in Senate
Contains No Absolute Privilege for Confidential Sources
Washington: Shield Bill Falters In Washington Legislature
Bill May Be Introduced Again In 2007 or 2008
S.D.N.Y.: Federal Court Quashes Subpoena for
60 Minutes Outtakes Under New York Shield Law
United Auto Group v. Ewing
Mo. Cir. Ct.: Missouri Newspaper Ordered to Produce Unpublished Photo
Newspaper Will Not Appeal
O’Neal v. Rex Sharp et al.
LIBEL & PRIVACY
N.Y. Sup. Ct.: Newspaper Precluded from Relying on Confidential Sources in Libel Suit
Basketball Player’s Libel Claim Survives Summary Judgment
Sprewell v. NYP Holdings, Inc.
Kansas Dist. Ct.: Romance Author Wins $230,000 on Libel and Privacy Claims Against Vanity Publisher
Ruling on Punitive Damages Pending
Brandewyne et al. v. Author Solutions, Inc. d/b/a AuthorHouse
D. Utah: Neutral Report Privilege Protects Utah Newspapers
International Association of United Mine Workers v. United Mine Workers of America, et al.
Ind. Ct. App.: Indiana Court of Appeals Upholds Anti-SLAPP Ruling For Newspaper
Remands Case for Hearing on Appellate Fees
Shepard v. Schurz Communications
N.Y. App. Div.: New York Appellate Court Dismisses “Dangerous Doctors” Defamation Case
Kamalian v. Reader’s Digest Association, Inc.
Illinois Cir. Ct.: Petition For Pretrial Discovery Dismissed
Petitioner Sought to Bring False Light Claim Against Newspaper
Maureen Jagmin v. Chicago Sun Times, Inc.
N.Y. Sup. Ct.: Long Island Weekly Newspaper Wins Motion to Dismiss
Substantially True Based on “Documentary Evidence”
Gerard Matovcik v. Times Beacon Record Newspapers et al.
E.D.N.Y.: Pro Se Complaint Against Da Vinci Code Movie Dismissed
Baldeo v. Sony Corp. Pictures, et al
SUPREME COURT
US: Supreme Court Refuses To Hear “Police Libel” Case
Chaker v. Crogan
US: Supreme Court Denies Cert. In Obscenity Case
U.S. v. Extreme Associates, Inc.
US: Cert. Denied in Yahoo! v. LICRA Case
Yahoo! Inc. v. La Ligue Contre Le Racisme et L’Antisemitisme