Gould & Ratner, a law firm, purchased the insurance policy from Vigilant Insurance Company doing business as Chubb Group of Insurance Companies (Vigilant). Gould & Ratner was sued by David Carmell for defamation and breach of fiduciary duty (the underlying suit). Gould & Ratner notified Vigilant of the suit. Vigilant said it had no duty to defend or indemnify Gould & Ratner in the underlying suit ... More...   $0 (12-12-2002 - IL)

To propel a breast imaging technology from its development stage to the marketplace, Computerized Thermal Imaging, Inc. (CTI) sold stock in the venture, applied to the NASDAQ Stock Exchange for a national listing, and sought FDA pre-market approval. Bloomberg News reported the activity, fomenting the underlying lawsuit for libel. CTI now appeals the dismissal of that action, contending the distric... More...   $0 (11-27-2002 - UT)

In 1986, the City and County of San Francisco commissioned renowned artist Jesus "Chuy" Campusano to paint a mural in San Francisco's Mission District. The site chosen was the south exterior wall of a former factory building owned by the Lilli Ann Corporation. After six weeks of work, Campusano and his colleague Elias Rocha finished a 46-foot by 46-foot mural of brightly colored geometric ab... More...   $0 (11-25-2002 - CA)

This diversity case arises from a book written by John and Patricia Ramsey about the police investigation into their daughter's murder. Linda Hoffmann-Pugh, the Ramseys' former housekeeper, brought suit against the Ramseys, alleging libel and slander under Georgia law in connection with the book and its promotion. The district court granted the Ramseys' motion to dismiss Hoffmann-Pugh's complaint ... More...   $0 (11-20-2002 - GA)

On 11 July 1999, plaintiff was arrested by Union County deputies and appeared before a magistrate who issued a R... More...   $0 (11-19-2002 - NC)

This appeal was certified to us from the Arkansas Court of Appeals as presenting issues of statutory interpretation. Our jurisdiction is thus pursuant to Ark. Sup. Ct. R. 1-2(b)(6). This case arose from a defamation and libel suit filed in the Benton County Circuit Court by Appellees Andy Lee and Nelson Erdmann. The complaint was filed on November 21, 2000, and named as defendants John Dodge, Jim ... More...   $0 (11-08-2002 - AR)

Th... More...   $0 (10-07-2002 - NC)

Plaintiffs Open Software Foundation (OSF) and Hewlett-Packard (HP) brought this diversity action against USF&G, their general commercial liability insurer, claiming that USF&G had a duty to defend a lawsuit filed against them by Addamax Corporation, a software manufacturer. (1) After OSF decided not to bundle Addamax security software into its UNIX-based operating system, Addamax sued OSF in 1989,... More...   $0 (10-04-2002 - MA)

Medical Laboratory Management Consultants ("Medical Lab") and John Devaraj ("Devaraj"), a founder and owner of Medical Lab, (collectively "Plaintiffs") brought this action against American Broadcasting Companies ("ABC") and individuals allegedly involved in producing the segment Rush to Read for ABC's television program PrimeTime Live (collectively "Defendants"). The district court, exercisi... More...   $0 (09-20-2002 - AZ)

The Mishlers filed a suit for damages against MAC. MAC answered and raised counterclaims on the basis of breach of contract and libel/slander. MAC also petitioned the court to issue an injunction enjoining the Mishlers from "[m]aking verbal or written statements to members of the public regarding the character, qualifications, workmanship or reputation of MAC" and "[d]isplaying signs referring, in... More...   $0 (07-16-2002 - IN)

Respondent Gary E. Stallings and his wife brought a personal injury action against Amerace Corporation ("Amerace"),1 and on June 13, 1998, the jury awarded the Stallingses a verdict of $1 million,2 but found Stallings' employer 60% at fault. On June 22, 1998, Amerace filed a renewed motion for directed verdict, motion for judgment notwithstanding the verdict, or in the alternative, motion for ... More...   $600000 (07-12-2002 - FL)

This suit arises out of Mae Howard's allegations that Kristin D. White and Barry Wells intentionally made false reports to Child Protective Services (CPS) and initiated CPS proceedings against Howard. In five issues, Howard challenges (1) the granting of summary judgment in favor of Kristin and Wells on Howard's claims for libel, slander, malicious prosecution, and conspiracy; (2) the tr... More...   $0 (07-11-2002 - TX)

This appeal stands ... More...   $0 (07-10-2002 - ME)

The plaintiff, chairman of a publicly-traded company, brought suit against the defendant, a newspaper reporter, for defamation and false light invasion of privacy. At the end of the trial, the jury returned a sizeable verdict in favor of the plaintiff on his claim for false light invasion of privacy, but a take-nothing verdict on the defamation claim. For the reasons stated below, we vacate the ju... More...   $0 (06-28-2002 - NH)

Objecting to his portrayal in Jonathan Harr's best-selling book A Civil Action, an account of toxic tort litigation over contaminated well water in Woburn, Massachusetts, that allegedly caused the death of several children, John J. Riley, Jr., sued Harr and his publisher for defamation and related torts. He was joined in that lawsuit by his wife, Diane W. Riley. The district court granted summary ... More...   $0 (06-11-2002 - MA)

On June 16, 2000, Denise Ford, appellant, filed a complaint in the Circuit Court for Montgomery County against Sherman Douglas, appellee. Appellant alleged that on January 1, 1999, an incident occurred between the parties outside of a nightclub in the District of Columbia. During a period of time prior to January 1, 1999, the parties lived together and had a child. Based on the January 1 enc... More...   $0 (06-06-2002 - MD)

{2} On July 28, 1993, Aken had worked for Plains for nine years. He had been selected employee of the mo... More...   $300000 (06-05-2002 - NM)

Dawkins filed a traditional motion for summary judgment under Rule 166a(c) of the Rules... More...   $0 (05-28-2002 - TX)

Lynn Gibson, and five other loggers (hereinafter referr... More...   $0 (05-28-2002 - OK)

Appellant, Peary Perry, sued appellee, George Greanias, former City of Houston Controller, alleging libel, slander, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and violations of his constitutional due process and free speech rights.1 Perry challenges the trial court's granting of Greanias's motion for summary judgment based on various affirmative defenses of immunity and privilege. We address... More...   $0 (05-24-2002 - TX)

In this interlocutory appeal, we must decide two issues of first impression in Texas: whether a parody or satire regarding a public official or figure is mere opinion or rhetorical hyperbole and is, therefore, protected First Amendment speech; and what is the proper application of the “actual malice” standard to satire or parody in a defamation action by public officials. Appellees... More...   $0 (05-02-2002 - TX)

Harry Palmer, the owner of Star's Edge, Inc., and the creator of a self-help course called Avatar, sought a preliminary injunction against Eldon Braun, alleging that Braun's book, The Source Course, infringed Palmer's copyright in the Avatar Course materials. The district court denied the request for a preliminary injunction after determining that Palmer was unlikely to succeed on the merits of hi... More...   $0 (04-09-2002 - FL)

CBS published and aired a story entitled "Lotto Town" in January 1998 on its weekly news magazine, 48 Hours, detailing the lives of forty-two lotto millionaires living in the small town of Roby, Texas. One of these lotto winners was Lance Green, Mitzi Green's ex-husband. In the course of its one-hour broadcast, CBS showed how Lance's life changed during the year following his lotto win. The story ... More...   $0 (04-03-2002 - TX)

This is an appeal and a cross-appeal from an order denying a special motion to strike under Code of Civil Procedure section 425.16. In their appeal defendants, Mark Brutzkus, an attorney, and his client, Sandra Hogan LaMarche individually and doing business as The Network, contend the trial court erred in finding a malicious prosecution complaint could not be subject to a special motion to st... More...   $0 (03-25-2002 - CA)

In the first amended complaint for malicious prosecution, plaintiff alleged Ms. LaMarche filed a cross-complaint against Jarrow in a municipal court action, entitled Jarrow Formulas, Inc. v. Sandra Hogan LaMarche, d.b.a. The Network, case No. 97T00312. The first amended malicious prosecution complaint alleged that the municipal cross-complaint contained claims for general damages according to ... More...   $0 (03-25-2002 - CA)