Media & Communications Law

Criticized in Sermon, Parishioner Sues

Criticized by a parishioner in private telephone messages, a Catholic priest in suburban Chicago might have been best-advised to turn the other cheek. Instead, he fired back from the pulpit, allegedly saying he’d checked beforehand with a lawyer who’d approved his comments. After parishioners arrived at mass at St. Thomas…

Oct 8, 2007 6:50 PM CDT

Blogger Back Online, Trumping Lawyers

Seemingly on the ropes after a Uzbekistan billionaire’s lawyers pressured his former Web host into taking down his site, an Internet critic is back online today in an ongoing Internet slugfest that has drawn worldwide attention to the way libel issues are handled in the blog world. Craig Murray, a…

Oct 8, 2007 3:13 PM CDT

Defamation Suit for Lawsuit Press Conference Allowed

A federal judge has refused to dismiss a lawsuit filed by a Georgia gun shop claiming it was defamed by statements made in a press conference announcing a lawsuit. The suit was filed against New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and other city officials. The defamation allegations stem from a May…

Oct 5, 2007 1:31 PM CDT

Reporter Shield Law Moves Ahead in Senate

A proposed federal law that would protect journalists from having to reveal their sources in federal court has moved forward in the U.S. Senate. The Free Flow of Information Act was passed out of the Senate Judiciary Committee onto the floor today, reports the Associated Press. If enacted, it would…

Oct 4, 2007 4:27 PM CDT

John Grisham Sued for Libel

The best-selling author of numerous legal thrillers has been sued for libel over his first nonfiction work, The Innocent Man. In an unusual federal libel conspiracy case, John Grisham, along with other authors and publishers, has been sued by a prosecutor and law enforcement officer over three nonfiction books published…

Oct 1, 2007 10:49 PM CDT

OJ Simpson Book, ‘If I Did It,’ a Best-Seller

It couldn’t have been O.J. Simpson’s plan, since he doesn’t get any of the profits. But the former superstar’s arrest earlier this month has helped launch his new book, If I Did It, to the top of the New York Times nonfiction bestseller list. It is now No. 2, according…

Sep 28, 2007 4:13 PM CDT

Verizon Does About Face on Abortion-Rights Campaign

Updated: Last week Verizon Wireless turned down a request by an abortion-rights group for a text message program, igniting debate over whether mobile companies should be able to censor messages. Today the company reversed itself, the New York Times reports. The original decision was a “mistake,” according to Verizon spokesman…

Sep 27, 2007 3:00 PM CDT

Judge Makes ‘Bear-Baiting’ Case Against TV Show Producers

A British judge castigated the producers of the nation’s most popular daytime talk show yesterday as he imposed a hefty fine on a participant who reportedly was provoked into a physical attack, in front of a studio audience, on his wife’s lover. The producers of the Jeremy Kyle Show—which, as…

Sep 25, 2007 7:11 PM CDT

Cabbies Sue, Say GPS Risks Trade Secrets

Fearful of an invasion of privacy that could allow others to take advantage of a valuable trade secret—the best driving routes to find fares—New York cabdrivers have filed suit to block new rules requiring the installation of GPS and other new technology. While not all taxi drivers and cab owners…

Sep 20, 2007 1:25 AM CDT

Dan Rather Sues CBS for $70 Million

Claiming that CBS News made him a “scapegoat” for the network’s flawed reporting concerning President George W. Bush’s service in the National Guard during the Vietnam War era, former 60 Minutes reporter Dan Rather sued today for $70 million. His lawsuit, which names as defendants the network, its corporate parent…

Sep 19, 2007 9:29 PM CDT

Rutgers Player Drops Imus Slander Suit

A Rutgers University basketball player who was targeted, along with teammates, in racist on-air comments by Don Imus has dropped her defamation suit against the shock jock and CBS Radio. As detailed in an earlier ABAJournal.com post, Kia Vaughn claimed libel per se, which eliminates requirements that would otherwise apply…

Sep 12, 2007 11:34 PM CDT

Cost of TV-Phone-Net Deals: No Privacy

Big Brother may not be watching you. But, chances are, Corporate America is—especially if you have a package cable television or telephone deal. If you read the fine print on your contract for phone, cable television and Internet service with certain providers, it’s clear that “not only does the company…

Sep 12, 2007 3:44 PM CDT

Rehearing in Freelancer Copyright Case

A federal appeals court has agreed to rehear a case that considers whether freelance writers have rights to stories published in a magazine’s exact reproduction in digital CD-ROM format. The decision by the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to rehear the case en banc could reinstitute a conflict with…

Sep 4, 2007 11:04 AM CDT

Panel Allots Blame for Va. Tech Massacre

A lack of communication, misunderstood medical privacy laws and inadequate mental health treatment options share the blame along with gunman Seung Hui Cho for a shooting spree in which he killed 32 fellow students and faculty at Virginia Tech earlier this year before killing himself Those were the conclusions of…

Aug 31, 2007 3:04 PM CDT

Jewell’s Libel Suit May Survive

Libel plaintiff Richard Jewell and a defendant who identified him as a suspect in the bombing of Atlanta’s Centennial Olympic Park have both died, but the lawsuit may continue. Jewell’s 10-year-old libel and defamation suit against the Atlanta Journal-Constitution alleges the newspaper had a duty to investigate whether the information…

Aug 30, 2007 12:16 PM CDT