Opinion ID: 1590463
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Did the district court properly instruct the jury on Kiesau's defamation claim?

Text: Bantz claims the district court committed error by (1) failing to provide the jury with an instruction that permitted a finding of no defamation; (2) failing to instruct on libel per quod; (3) failing to instruct on the defense of opinion or parody; and (4) failing to instruct the jury that Kiesau was a public official or limited public figure. Defamation includes the twin torts of libel and slander. Theisen v. Covenant Med. Ctr., Inc., 636 N.W.2d 74, 83 (Iowa 2001). Libel involves written statements, while slander involves oral statements. Johnson v. Nickerson, 542 N.W.2d 506, 510 (Iowa 1996). As we have previously explained, [t]he law of defamation embodies the public policy that individuals should be free to enjoy their reputation unimpaired by false and defamatory attacks. An action for defamation or slander is based upon a violation of this right. The gravamen or gist of an action for defamation is damage to the plaintiff's reputation. It is reputation which is defamed, reputation which is injured, and reputation which is protected by the law of defamation. Defamation is an impairment of a relational interest; it denigrates the opinion which others in the community have of the plaintiff and invades the plaintiff's interest in his reputation and good name. A cause of action for defamation is based on the transmission of derogatory statements, not any physical or emotional distress to plaintiff which may result. Defamation law protects interests of personality, not of property. Schlegel v. Ottumwa Courier, 585 N.W.2d 217, 221 (Iowa 1998) (quoting 50 Am. Jur. 2d Libel and Slander § 2, at 338-39 (1995)). Here, the tort involved is libel. To establish a prima facie case of libel, the plaintiff must show the defendant (1) published a statement that (2) was defamatory (3) of and concerning the plaintiff, and (4) resulted in injury to the plaintiff. Johnson, 542 N.W.2d at 510. There are two kinds of libel: libel per se and libel per quod. In statements that are libelous per se, falsity, malice, and injury are presumed and proof of these elements is not necessary. Vinson v. Linn-Mar Cmty. Sch. Dist., 360 N.W.2d 108, 115-16 (Iowa 1985). An attack on the integrity and moral character of a party is libelous per se. Wilson v. IBP, Inc., 558 N.W.2d 132, 139 (Iowa 1996). If a statement is clear and unambiguous, the issue of whether the statement is libelous per se is for the court. Vinson, 360 N.W.2d at 116. If the court determines a statement is libelous per se as a matter of law, the burden shifts to the defendant to prove the statement was used and understood in a different sense. Andreas v. Hinson, 157 Iowa 43, 45, 137 N.W. 1004, 1005 (1912). If a statement is susceptible to two reasonable meanings, however, it is not libelous per se if one of the meanings is not defamatory. Kerndt v. Rolling Hills Nat'l Bank, 558 N.W.2d 410, 418 (Iowa 1997). If the language can reasonably be construed as having two meanings, then it is up to the jury to decide whether the statement is libelous per se. Id. In cases of libel per quod, a plaintiff must ordinarily prove some sort of cognizable injury, such as injury to reputation. Johnson, 542 N.W.2d at 513 (citing 53 C.J.S. Libel and Slander § 6 (1987)). To sustain an action for defamation based on libel per quod, the plaintiff must be able to show more than hurt feelings. Johnson, 542 N.W.2d at 513 (citing 53 C.J.S. Libel and Slander at § 5). If, however, the defendant's action is found to be libel per se, then damage to reputation is presumed. Schlegel, 585 N.W.2d at 222; see also Johnson, 542 N.W.2d at 510 (stating all the elements of proof are presumed to exist for statements that are libelous per se). When a requested instruction states a correct rule of law having application to the facts of the case and the concept is not otherwise contained in other instructions, the court is required to give the requested instruction. Herbst v. State, 616 N.W.2d 582, 585 (Iowa 2000). A trial court is not required to word jury instructions in a particular way and is free to draft instructions in its own way if it fairly covers the issues. Schuller v. Hy-Vee Food Stores, Inc., 407 N.W.2d 347, 351 (Iowa Ct.App.1987). The jury must consider the instructions as a whole, and if the instructions do not mislead the jury, there is no reversible error. Thavenet v. Davis, 589 N.W.2d 233, 236 (Iowa 1999). We review jury instructions to decide not only whether they are a correct statement of the law, but also whether the evidence presented at trial substantially supports the instructions. Bride v. Heckart, 556 N.W.2d 449, 452 (Iowa 1996). If we find an instruction to be erroneous, our inquiry does not end. The erroneous instruction must be prejudicial. Waits v. United Fire & Cas. Co., 572 N.W.2d 565, 569 (Iowa 1997). Prejudice results when the trial court's instruction materially misstates the law, confuses or misleads the jury, or is unduly emphasized. Anderson v. Webster City Cmty. Sch. Dist., 620 N.W.2d 263, 268 (Iowa 2000).
The district court gave the following instruction regarding Kiesau's defamation claim. INSTRUCTION NO. 10 To prove her defamation claim, Plaintiff must prove all of the following propositions: 1. The Defendant made the altered photograph. 2. The Defendant showed the altered photograph to one or more persons other than the Plaintiff by either hand delivery or by e-mail. 3. The altered photograph would reasonably be understood to be an expression which would attack a person's integrity or moral character. If the Plaintiff has failed to prove any of these propositions, the Plaintiff is not entitled to damages. If the Plaintiff has proven all of these propositions, then the Plaintiff is entitled to damages in some amount. The second to last sentence of the instruction tells the jury if Kiesau failed to prove any proposition contained in the instruction, she failed to prove her claim of defamation. The district court required the jury confirm its decision on Kiesau's defamation claim by having them answer the question: [D]id the defendant commit defamation of plaintiff Crystal Kiesau? contained in the special verdict form. The jury answered this question affirmatively. The instruction combined with the special verdict clearly allowed a jury to make a finding of no defamation.
Bantz claims the district court should have instructed the jury on libel per quod. This assignment of error is without merit. Kiesau never requested the district court submit her case to the jury on a libel per quod theory. If she had, she would be required to prove actual damage to her reputation. A libel per se action presumes damage to reputation. Schlegel, 585 N.W.2d at 222. If the jury found the altered photograph was not libelous per se, she would not have prevailed on her claims at trial. Bantz is not entitled to dictate what claims the plaintiff wants submitted to the jury for consideration. The case as submitted fairly represented the theory of libel as pled by Kiesau applicable to the facts contained in the record.
a. Parody. Bantz argued in the district court that the altered photograph was not libelous per se and could be reasonably understood to be a parody. Kiesau argued the altered photograph was clear and unambiguous, and the court should have found as a matter of law the photograph is libelous per se. Had the district court agreed with Kiesau's position, the court would only need to instruct the jury on the elements of publication and damages for Kiesau to recover on her claim of libel per se. Under this scenario, the district court would also be required to instruct the jury on Bantz's affirmative defense of parody. Andreas, 157 Iowa at 47, 137 N.W. at 1006. The district court did not submit Kiesau's case in this manner. Instead, the court concluded the altered photograph was susceptible of more than one meaning and refused to instruct the jury the altered photograph was libelous per se. The district court required Kiesau to prove the altered photograph would reasonably be understood to be an expression which would attack a person's integrity or moral character. This language encompasses the concept of parody with the burden on Kiesau to prove the altered statement was not a parody. To be a parody, the jury must find the altered photograph could not reasonably be understood as describing actual facts about Kiesau or actual events in which Kiesau participated. See Hustler Magazine v. Falwell, 485 U.S. 46, 57, 108 S.Ct. 876, 882, 99 L.Ed.2d 41, 53 (1988). Although the instructions did not specifically mention the word parody, the concept that the altered photograph was a parody was contained in the instructions when the district court required the jury to determine whether the altered photograph would reasonably be understood to be an expression which would attack a person's integrity or moral character. The instructions as a whole correctly stated the law, did not mislead the jury, or prejudice Bantz. b. Opinion. Bantz also argued in the district court that the altered photograph was not libelous per se and could be reasonably understood to be an expression of his low opinion of Kiesau. Opinion is absolutely protected under the First Amendment. Jones v. Palmer Communications, Inc., 440 N.W.2d 884, 891 (Iowa 1989). We have adopted various factors to determine whether a statement is fact or opinion. Id. These are: 1. The precision and specificity of the statement; 2. The verifiability of the statement; and 3. The literary context in which the statement was made. Id. The third factor, literary context, includes the social context, which focuses on the category of the publication, its style and intended audience, and the political context in which the statement was made. Id. at 891-92. In applying these factors, the altered photograph is precise and specific in its representation of Kiesau. A person could easily verify the truth or falsity of the altered photograph by a simple inquiry of Kiesau. Finally, Bantz did not publish the altered photograph in any political context. He sent the altered photo to fellow employees without any disclaimer. At times, he sent it anonymously. Under these circumstances, it was not opinion. Failure to submit an instruction on opinion was not an abuse of discretion because the evidence did not support the proposed instruction. See State v. Langlet, 283 N.W.2d 330, 336 (Iowa 1979).
If Kiesau was a public official or a limited public figure, she would not be entitled to recover any damages for a defamatory statement concerning her official conduct unless she presented clear and convincing proof that the statement was made with actual malice. New York Times v. Sullivan, 376 U.S. 254, 279-80, 84 S.Ct. 710, 726, 11 L.Ed.2d 686, 706 (1964). Bantz argues the mere fact of Kiesau being a police officer makes her a public official. We have previously rejected the expansive view that all government employees are public officials as inconsistent with the plain meaning of the standards announced by the Supreme Court in Hutchinson v. Proxmire, 443 U.S. 111, 99 S.Ct. 2675, 61 L.Ed.2d 411 (1979) and Rosenblatt v. Baer, 383 U.S. 75, 86 S.Ct. 669, 15 L.Ed.2d 597 (1966). Jones, 440 N.W.2d at 895. We have previously held a low ranking firefighter who does not have substantial responsibility over the conduct of governmental affairs is not a public official. Id. at 896. The same rule applies to a low ranking deputy sheriff such as Kiesau. We have recognized that people may become limited public figures if they thrust themselves to the forefront of particular public controversies in order to influence the resolution of the issues involved. Id. at 895 (quoting Gertz v. Robert Welch, Inc., 418 U.S. 323, 345, 94 S.Ct. 2997, 3009, 41 L.Ed.2d 789, 808 (1974)). The only act Bantz claims could make Kiesau a limited public figure is her appearance on the K-9 school's website. Her appearance on the website did not thrust her to the forefront of any public controversy to influence the resolution of any issue of public importance.