Media & Communications Law

Louisiana lawyer sues People magazine over story about his wife’s cold-case slaying

A Louisiana lawyer is suing People magazine over a story he alleges falsely portrays him as his late wife’s killer. Baton Rouge attorney Joel Porter is seeking damages for emotional distress and for the harm he says that the story and a related live Internet broadcast caused to his personal…

Dec 22, 2015 1:10 PM CST

Judge tosses felony case against pair who handed out jury nullification leaflets near courthouse

A Colorado judge has dismissed a felony prosecution for jury tampering against two men who handed out leaflets about jury nullification outside the Lindsey-Flanigan Courthouse in Denver. Wednesday’s dismissal of the state court criminal case against Mark Iannicelli and Eric Brandt follows a federal court ruling in a civil rights…

Dec 16, 2015 4:30 PM CST

Retraction of Stephen Glass article follows critical opinion by California Supreme Court

Readers of Harper’s Magazine may have the California Supreme Court to thank for the latest correction of a purported nonfiction article by Stephen Glass. Published in 1998, the “Prophets and Losses” article has now been retracted by Harper’s after a recent letter from Glass. It is the first retracted article…

Dec 15, 2015 4:40 PM CST

Plumber sues auto dealership for $1M after traded-in truck with his logo appeared in Syrian photo

A Texas plumber has sued a Houston automobile dealership for $1 million. That’s because the pickup truck he traded in in October 2013 was reportedly shipped to Syria, equipped with an anti-aircraft gun and featured–still with its company logo–in a viral photo posted on Twitter by an Islamist extremist group…

Dec 11, 2015 10:35 AM CST

Judge orders Florida newspaper to unpublish information on its website

Updated: A judge has ordered a Florida newspaper to unpublish material posted on its website. In an unusual ruling (PDF), Palm Beach County Circuit Judge Jack Schramm Cox ordered the Palm Beach Post to remove from its website transcripts of taped telephone recordings in which a jailhouse informant bragged about…

Dec 7, 2015 6:31 AM CST

Guitarist for rock band Boston lacked basis for defamation suits, top state court says

After years of litigation, a top state court has definitively ended consolidated defamation cases by Boston guitarist Tom Scholz against the Boston Herald and the ex-wife of the rock band’s late frontman, Brad Delp. Scholz said news coverage in the Herald implied that he was to blame for Delp’s 2007…

Dec 1, 2015 12:35 PM CST

Can marijuana ads be shown on TV in states where it’s legal? Broadcasters aren’t so sure

If the recent spate of states repealing marijuana prohibitions could be likened to a revolution, it's one that won't be televised—at least not as a commercial. That's the transmission received recently in Colorado, where a 15-second advertisement for a cannabis-oil vape pen that was set to air during a Denver…

Dec 1, 2015 4:00 AM CST

2nd Circuit rules Justice Department doesn’t have to disclose additional drone-strike memos

The U.S. Justice Department doesn’t have to disclose about 10 documents regarding the legal basis for targeted drone killings of noncitizens overseas, a federal appeals court has ruled. The October decision by the New York-based 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals was unsealed on Monday, report the New York Times…

Nov 24, 2015 10:25 AM CST

Detective drops defamation suit against lawyer over her comments about teen sexting investigation

A defamation suit by a Virginia police officer over comments made by a lawyer defending a teen in a sexting case has been withdrawn. However, it isn’t clear whether the Prince William Circuit Court suit against Jessica Harbeson Foster might possibly be refiled, reports the Washington Post (reg. req.) Foster…

Nov 20, 2015 1:55 PM CST

Former prosecutors sue embattled AG Kathleen Kane

For months, embattled Pennsylvania attorney general Kathleen Kane has been saying criminal charges that could force her from office are the result of her bringing to light pornographic emails that embarrassed political opponents. But in a federal lawsuit, five former employees of her office–including several prosecutors–put a different spin on…

Nov 16, 2015 9:30 AM CST

SCOTUS rejects FOIA case involving Planned Parenthood manual; two justices dissent

The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to consider whether an exception to the Freedom of Information Act shields from disclosure Planned Parenthood’s Manual of Medical Standards and Guidelines. Justice Clarence Thomas dissented from the cert denial on Monday in an opinion (PDF) joined by Justice Antonin Scalia. New Hampshire Right…

Nov 16, 2015 9:27 AM CST

Largest public database of Chicago police misconduct allegations debuts

After a decade of litigation, the Invisible Institute of Chicago on Tuesday launched the Citizens Police Data Project, the largest public database of police misconduct allegations in the country. “It’s a historic moment,” says Craig Futterman, clinical professor of law at the University of Chicago Law School and partner on…

Nov 10, 2015 10:00 AM CST

Fraternity files $25M defamation suit over retracted Rolling Stone story about campus rape claim

A fraternity has filed suit over a retracted Rolling Stone article that initially claimed Phi Kappa Psi members had been involved in a gang rape at its house on the University of Virginia. Two independent investigations—by police and a journalism school dean—have found no evidence that any such rape occurred.…

Nov 9, 2015 3:25 PM CST

Judge charged in federal bribery case is accused of paying FBI agent $100 for copies of texts

A North Carolina superior court judge who chairs the state’s Innocence Inquiry Commission was arrested Wednesday after allegedly paying a FBI agent $100 on Tuesday for a disk purportedly containing copies of text messages between two phone numbers. Judge Arnold Ogden Jones II was federally indicted (PDF) by a grand…

Nov 4, 2015 1:45 PM CST

Judge grants Hulk Hogan’s request to inspect Gawker’s computers

A judge has granted Hulk Hogan and his legal team access to Gawker’s computers, smartphones, and network servers to determine whether Gawker employees purposely leaked confidential information about the former pro wrestler, The Hollywood Reporter reported Thursday. Florida Circuit Judge Pamela Campbell ruled that Hogan and his team could search…

Oct 23, 2015 4:15 PM CDT