Safety Equipment Manufacturer Drops Suit Against NASCAR- July 15, 2003 Sports Illustrated reports here that safety equipment manufacturer Bill Simpson has settled his $8.5 million defamation suit against NASCAR. Simpson claimed that NASCAR had wrongly blamed his former company's seat belt for the death of Dale Earnhardt in a crash during the 2001 Daytona 500. While Simpson had indicated that he really wanted an apology from NASCAR, not money, terms of the settlement were not disclosed. According to the report, Simpson and NASCAR released the following...http://actualmalice.blogspot.com/2003_07_01_actualmalice_archive.html#105830301840351417 Aerial Photographer Seeks to Dismiss Streisand Privacy Suit- July 15, 2003 The Washington Post reports here that attorneys for Kenneth Adelman, an aerial photographer sued by Barbra Streisand for posting photographs of her Malibu estate on the Internet, have moved to dismiss the lawsuit. Adelman claims his California Coastal Records Project web site provides the photographs for scientific and research purposes, and his attorneys have argued that the photos are a matter of public interest that should be protected as part of Adelman's free speech. prior related post...http://actualmalice.blogspot.com/2003_07_01_actualmalice_archive.html#105830203179361575 Polanski Casting for Libel Suit- July 15, 2003 The New York Daily News reports here that directorfugitive from the law Roman Polanski is lining up an all-star cast to testify in a libel suit he is bringing against Vanity Fair. Polanski is reportedly suing the magazine over a report last year that alleged that he propositioned a Swedish beauty in New York while en route to his murdered wife's funeral. Polanski asserts that he never stopped in New York when traveling to the funeral. link via Gawker Like many others, Polanski has chosen to..http://actualmalice.blogspot.com/2003_07_01_actualmalice_archive.html#105829385127489827 Police Officer Wins $110,000 Verdict Over Deadly Force Story- July 15, 2003 The Star Tribune reports here that Thomas Schlieman, a St. Cloud, Minnesota police officer, has won $110,000 in a defamation lawsuit against KARE-TV in the Twin Cities. The case arose over a statement in a May 1999 KARE report concerning the fatal shooting of Kevin Hartwig by Officer Schlieman. According to the Star Tribune report, "Officers had gone to Hartwig's home after a neighbor called police. He came outside with a knife sticking out of his chest. Police told him to leave the knife...http://actualmalice.blogspot.com/2003_07_01_actualmalice_archive.html#105829289812822258 The Dangerous Creep of Commercial Speech- July 11, 2003 The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit has certified a question to the Florida Supreme Court concerning the scope of Florida's commercial misappropriation statute, Fla. Stat. 540.08 (1998) in a case arising out the film "The Perfect Storm." Tyne v. Time Warner, No. 02-13281 (11th Cir. July 9, 2003) opinion here link via Dishings via How Appealing. Plaintiffs, the surviving family members of Billy Tyne, the captain of the ill-fated Andrea Gail, filed claims for misappropriation..http://actualmalice.blogspot.com/2003_07_01_actualmalice_archive.html#105793882044394695 Fun With IMDB- July 11, 2003 In the course of the exhaustive research concerning yesterday's Stripperella post, I came across some funny stuff in Pam Anderson's IMDB.com bio. Not only is Ms. Anderson credited as "Producer" of the home video sex tapes of her and then-husband Tommy Lee, she's also credited as the "Hair Stylist" and "Makeup Artist."http://actualmalice.blogspot.com/2003_07_01_actualmalice_archive.html#105793541975603750 National Enquirer Settles Suit With Carolyn Condit- July 11, 2003 CNN.com reports here that the $10 million libel suit brought by Carolyn Condit against The National Enquirer has settled. No details were released. Ms. Condit sued over "an August 7, 2001, article that cited confidential police sources as saying Carolyn Condit 'flew into a rage' during a telephone conversation with Chandra Levy." Ms. Condit denied ever speaking with or meeting Levy. prior related post herehttp://actualmalice.blogspot.com/2003_07_01_actualmalice_archive.html#105793492908239955 Kutcher Punk'd: Seeks Apology Over "Bleeping" Quote- July 11, 2003 The New York Daily News reports here that Ashton Kutcher has demanded an apology from the London Evening Standard over a quote that Kutcher says he never uttered: that girlfriend Demi Moore "was the hottest actress in Hollywood when I was growing up. Now I'm bleeping her." Kutcher claims the paper simply made the quote up and is reportedly considering his legal options. It's also not a good sign when the reporter credited with the story also claims the quote was fabricated. According to the..http://actualmalice.blogspot.com/2003_07_01_actualmalice_archive.html#105793452008470783 Breast-Related Post of the Day: Aniston Settles UK Privacy Suit- July 11, 2003 In the wake of the Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones trial against Hello!, Jennifer Aniston has reportedly settled her breach of privacy suit with the UK's Daily Sport for 40,000. report here via Guardian Unlimited Aniston claimed the Daily Sport breached her privacy by publishing photographs of her topless and in swimwear taken with a telephoto lens. The photographs, one by her pool in Los Angeles and two on a private beach in Mexico, were taken without her knowledge and published in.http://actualmalice.blogspot.com/2003_07_01_actualmalice_archive.html#105793380416034001 Back From The Dead: Firth v. New York- July 10, 2003 Just as cases like Batzel v. Smith prior post here seem to be widening the gap between the traditional principles of common law defamation jurisprudence and defamation law as applied to the Internet, along comes the reincarnation of Firth v. State of New York. On March 18, 1998, George Firth, former director of the Department of Environmental Conservation's Division of Law Enforcement, filed an action for defamation against New York State based on statements made in a report issued by the...http://actualmalice.blogspot.com/2003_07_01_actualmalice_archive.html#105786906823448361 |