Opinion ID: 1377881
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: The Defamation, False Light Claims, and Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress Claims

Text: As has previously been indicated, the Bines also claim that Mr. Bine was defamed and presented in a false light by Bayer, Inc., when he was discharged. In Crump v. Beckley Newspapers, Inc., 173 W.Va. 699, 320 S.E.2d 70 (1983), this Court explained that to have a defamation claim, a plaintiff must show that false and defamatory statements were made against him, or relating to him, to a third party who did not have a reasonable right to know, and that the statements were made at least negligently on the part of the party making the statements, and resulted in injury to the plaintiff. The elements were summarized in Syllabus Point 1 of Crump v. Beckley Newspapers, Inc., id ., as follows: The essential elements for a successful defamation action by a private individual are (1) defamatory statements; (2) a nonprivileged communication to a third party; (3) falsity; (4) reference to the plaintiff; (5) at least negligence on the part of the publisher; and (6) resulting injury. Mr. Bine, in the present case, takes the position that he had not vandalized a fellow employee's vehicle as claimed by Bayer, Inc., and that any assertion that he did is false. The record further indicates that at the time Mr. Bine was terminated, rumors began spreading among Mr. Bine's fellow employees. [3] To quash these rumors, Bayer, Inc., apparently notified certain employees that Mr. Bine had been engaged in vandalism. On appeal, the Bines take the position that the spreading of this false information constituted defamation. In this Court's view, the Bines' claim of defamation raises issues of material fact, or at least questions which merit further factual inquiry. As indicated in Crump v. Beckley Newspapers, Inc., id ., for defamation to exist, there must be a false statement. It is the clear import of Mr. Bine's statements that he did not commit the vandalism charged. Further, the deposition testimony of certain witnesses suggests that Mr. Bine could not, because of his character, have committed the vandalism charged. On the other hand, certain evidence adduced by Bayer, Inc., suggests that he was the culprit. An additional question is whether Bayer, Inc., was privileged or justified in spreading the charge of vandalism, if false, among its employees. Where there are questions of this type, Aetna Casualty & Surety Company v. Federal Insurance Company of New York, supra , indicates that summary judgment is improper. Two additional claims asserted by the Bines are that Bayer, Inc., placed Mr. Bine in a false light and that Bayer, Inc., intentionally inflicted emotional distress upon him. In Crump v. Beckley Newspapers, Inc., supra , the Court discussed false light claims and stated in Syllabus Point 12: Publicity which unreasonably places another in a false light before the public is an actionable invasion of privacy. The Court also indicated in Syllabus Point 14 that a plaintiff in a false light case may not recover unless the false light in which he was placed would be highly offensive to a reasonable person. As in the case of the defamation claim, this Court believes that there is question of fact as to whether or not Bayer, Inc., truly or falsely accused Mr. Bine of vandalizing a vehicle. The spreading of such information, if false, could constitute a valid false light claim. However, as previously indicated, in this Court's view, the truth or falsity of the charge remains a factual issue in the case. Where there is such an issue, Aetna Casualty & Surety Company v. Federal Insurance Company of New York, supra , holds that summary judgment is improper. In Syllabus Point 3 of Travis v. Alcon Laboratories, Inc., 202 W.Va. 369, 504 S.E.2d 419 (1998), this Court examined what was necessary to establish an intentional infliction of emotional distress claim, such as the one asserted by the Bines in the present case. The Court stated: In order for a plaintiff to prevail on a claim for intentional or reckless infliction of emotional distress, four elements must be established. It must be shown: (1) that the defendant's conduct was atrocious, intolerable, and so extreme and outrageous as to exceed the bounds of decency; (2) that the defendant acted with the intent to inflict emotional distress, or acted recklessly when it was certain or substantially certain emotional distress would result from his conduct; (3) that the actions of the defendant caused the plaintiff to suffer emotional distress; and, (4) that the emotional distress suffered by the plaintiff was so severe that no reasonable person could be expected to endure it. As has previously been suggested, this Court believes that there is some question of fact as to whether Mr. Bine did, in fact, vandalize a fellow employee's vehicle and some question as to whether the dissemination of information that he had been terminated because of such conduct was justified or privileged. The Court believes that the record as developed fails to show conclusively either that Bayer, Inc., did intentionally or recklessly inflict emotional distress as laid out in Travis v. Alcon Laboratories, Inc., id ., or that it did not. Again, under such circumstances, Aetna Casualty & Surety Company v. Federal Insurance Company of New York, supra , would suggest that summary judgment is inappropriate. C.