Opinion ID: 2195379
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 8

Heading: Application of Actual Malice Standard to the Claim of the Tuckers

Text: The Tuckers allege that, at the pleading stage, it is unreasonable for them to have to prove actual malice because they contend that it involves an assessment of the state of mind of the defendant, a fact, which requires discovery to establish. It is true that there are instances in which the U.S. Supreme Court and this Court have declined to dismiss a pleading prior to trial because a factual dispute with regard to a component of actual malice made it premature to do so. See Masson v. New Yorker Magazine, Inc., 501 U.S. 496, 521, 111 S.Ct. 2419, 115 L.Ed.2d 447 (1991) (reversing grant of summary judgment; at this stage, the evidence creates a jury question whether [the writer of the article] published the statements with knowledge or reckless disregard of the falsity of the statements); Curran v. Philadelphia Newspapers, Inc., 497 Pa. 163, 439 A.2d 652 (1981) (summary judgment motion disputing claim of actual malice granted in part and denied in part). However, the requirement that the plaintiff be able to show actual malice by clear and convincing evidence is initially a matter of law. Milkovich, 497 U.S. at 17, 110 S.Ct. 2695. `The question whether the evidence in the record in a defamation case is sufficient to support a finding of actual malice is a question of law.' Id. (quoting Harte-Hanks Communications, Inc. v. Connaughton, 491 U.S. 657, 685-86, 109 S.Ct. 2678, 105 L.Ed.2d 562 (1989)). See also Ertel v. Patriot-News Company, 544 Pa. 93, 674 A.2d 1038 (1996) (holding trial court's grant of summary judgment proper because the plaintiff could not show actual malice by clear and convincing evidence). Indeed, in Harte-Hanks, the U.S. Supreme Court explained that: This rule is not simply premised on common-law tradition, but on the unique character of the interest protected by the actual malice standard. Our profound national commitment to the free exchange of ideas, as enshrined in the First Amendment, demands that the law of libel carve out an area of breathing space so that protected speech is not discouraged. The meaning of terms such as actual maliceand, more particularly, reckless disregardhowever, is not readily captured in one infallible definition. Rather, only through the course of case-by-case adjudication can we give content to these otherwise elusive constitutional standards. Moreover, such elucidation is particularly important in the area of free speech for precisely the same reason that the actual malice standard is itself necessary. Uncertainty as to the scope of the constitutional protection can only dissuade protected speechthe more elusive the standard, the less protection it affords. Most fundamentally, the rule is premised on the recognition that  [j]udges, as expositors of the Constitution, have a duty to independently decide whether the evidence in the record is sufficient to cross the constitutional threshold that bars the entry of any judgment that is not supported by clear and convincing proof of `actual malice.' Harte-Hanks, 491 U.S. at 685-686, 109 S.Ct. 2678 (emphasis added, internal citations and some quotations omitted) (quoting Bose Corp. v. Consumers Union of U.S., Inc., 466 U.S. 485, 511, 104 S.Ct. 1949, 80 L.Ed.2d 502 (1984)). Accordingly, we must consider whether a reasonable jury could conclude by clear and convincing evidence that Appellant-newspapers printed statements they knew were false or printed them with reckless disregard of their falsity. The standard to be applied upon review of a motion for judgment on the pleadings accepts all well-pleaded allegations of the complaint as true. `The question presented by the demurrer is whether, on the facts averred, the law says with certainty that no recovery is possible. Where a doubt exists as to whether a demurrer should be sustained, this doubt should be resolved in favor of overruling it.' MacElree v. Philadelphia Newspapers, Inc., 544 Pa. 117, 674 A.2d 1050, 1054 (1996) (quoting Vattimo v. Lower Bucks Hospital, Inc., 502 Pa. 241, 465 A.2d 1231 (1983)). Accordingly, we consider the actual malice standard to determine whether, assuming the allegations of the Complaint are true, the Tuckers' action should be remanded for further proceedings or dismissed. Essentially, the Tuckers claim that, notwithstanding that the Complaint in Tucker II alleged a loss of consortium claim, Appellant-newspapers knew that the Tuckers were not seeking damages for loss of their sexual relationship or printed the statement with reckless disregard of its falsity. Specifically, they contend that they can prove actual malice because the Tuckers' attorney purportedly told some of the newspapers that the Tuckers were not suing for loss of sexual relations and Appellant-newspapers recklessly disregarded this warning and published their interpretation anyway. (R.R. 36a.) The Tuckers also claim that Appellant-newspapers acted with reckless disregard of the truth because some of them allegedly: (a) failed to rely on the best sources; (b) relied upon the biased statement of the attorney for the Estate of Shakur; (c) failed to research the background of the Tuckers; (d) ignored the Tuckers' press release regarding Tucker II; and/or (e) failed to properly investigate the facts of the article. (R.R. 34a-38a.) The Tuckers, therefore, contend that they have set forth sufficient allegations of actual malice to avoid judgment on the pleadings. Several of the Tuckers' allegations are based upon an incorrect understanding of the articles the Appellant-newspapers published. For example, the Tuckers contend that the Appellant-newspapers showed actual malice by describing the Tucker II Complaint as one in which the Tuckers: (1) only sued the Shakur Estate, and (2) were seeking $10 million only because lewd lyrics destroyed their sex life. However, neither the Philadelphia Daily News nor the Legal Intelligencer made either of these statements. The Philadelphia Daily News article makes it clear it did not allege that the Tuckers only sued Mr. Shakur. Indeed, it quoted the Tuckers' attorney as stating that the Tuckers also sued the companies that produce, distribute, and sell the subject records. (R.R. 44a-45a.) Similarly, the Legal Intelligencer article made it clear that [t]he suit also names Shakur's Wife, Afeni, Death Row Records, Interscope Records, Time Warner, Seagram Co., Tower Records and seven other people and entities as defendants. (R.R. 50a-51a.) The Tuckers' next allegation that Appellant-newspapers stated that the Tuckers were seeking $10 million only because lewd lyrics destroyed [their] sex life is also not correct. Both Appellant-newspapers pointed out that the Tuckers were suing for other things, too. The Philadelphia Daily News article stated that Mrs. Tucker suffered mental anguish, great humiliation, and mental pain and suffering, and that she was suing, in part, to stop the production and distribution of gangsta rap to `impressionable youth, because it tends to corrupt the morals of minors.' (R.R. 44a (quoting Mrs. Tucker).) The article reported that Mrs. Tucker alleged that she was slandered and that she has reasonable fear for her life because violence and death play a central role in the gangsta rap arena. Although the Legal Intelligencer article did not give as many details about the other relief sought by the Tuckers, it stated that the lawsuit sought relief for other things, including damages for humiliation, mental pain and suffering because of the lyrics of the songs on the All Eyez on Me album. (R.R. 50a.) The Tuckers also contend that the purported failure of Appellant-newspapers to consider the Tuckers' press release was evidence of actual malice. (R.R. 34a.) Appellant-newspapers properly demurred to this statement. The Tuckers cannot prove actual malice based on their belief that Appellant-newspapers should have paid more attention to the Tuckers' press release especially where the release did not deny that the Tuckers sought damages for diminished sexual relations. Indeed, the press release stated that Mrs. Tucker's husband, William, a well known businessman, joins her as a plaintiff in the suit. (R. 72a.) The press release did nothing to dispel the belief of Appellant-newspapers that the loss of consortium claim included a claim for loss of sexual relations. The Tuckers further allege that the newspapers demonstrated actual malice by mischaracterizing the Complaint by emphasizing the sexual spin of Richard Fischbein. (R.R. 34a, 36a.) We do not find any basis from which a jury could conclude that Appellant-newspapers acted recklessly or in knowing disregard of the truth in reliance on the statement of Mr. Fischbein. In fact, the newspapers acted reasonably in quoting Mr. Fischbein. As an attorney and the executor of the Estate of Shakur, he is an entirely appropriate person for the newspapers to have interviewed. He was not an unreliable source and reliance upon him is not evidence of actual malice. Curran, 439 A.2d at 660. Additionally, the emphasis on the spin of Mr. Fischbein to attract some of the more prurient interests of the public is not defamatory. An action for defamation cannot be premised solely on defendant's style or utilization of vivid words in reporting a judicial proceeding .... [an article does not become actionable] by reason of the alleged `flippant' and `smart alecky' style of writing which was utilized ... to create reader interest. Binder v. Triangle Publications, Inc., 442 Pa. 319, 275 A.2d 53, 58 (1971) (internal quotations and citations omitted). Although an article is not made defamatory by being unfair, the Philadelphia Daily News acted in an even handed manner by extensively quoting the attorney for the Tuckers in response to the comments of Mr. Fischbein. See R.R. 44a-45a. Similarly, despite the fact that the Legal Intelligencer did not quote the Tuckers' attorney, it, too, was entitled to rely on the statements of Mr. Fischbein and the definition of the word consortium. The Legal Intelligencer did report that Mrs. Tucker, who is asking for $10 million in the suit, could not be reached for comment Thursday[,] implicitly advising the reader that there may be another perspective to this story. Apparently, the Legal Intelligencer did not have the benefit of an interview with Mrs. Tucker, so it relied upon the Complaint and the other sources available. The fact that the newspapers did not interview Mrs. Tucker does not mean that they knew that the statement of Mr. Fischbein was false, nor does it create the inference that Appellant-newspapers had obvious reasons to doubt the veracity of his statements, especially where the Tucker II Complaint appeared to validate them. St. Amant, 390 U.S. at 732, 88 S.Ct. 1323. Next, the Tuckers allege that: Only a few of the Defendants contacted Plaintiffs' law firm, which attorneys drafted the complaint, and the few defendants who did contact Plaintiffs' law firm misrepresented the complaint even after talking with Plaintiffs' counsel and after being advised that consortium counts can include a claim for damage to one's sexual life, but no such claim was being made by the Tuckers. (R.R. 36a) (emphasis in original). This is a problematic allegation for Appellant-newspapers because, to the extent that they were told that the Tuckers' loss of consortium claim did not include a claim for damage to the Tuckers' sexual relationship or recklessly disregarded that fact, it would be possible for a jury to conclude that Appellant-newspapers printed the article with actual malice. The plaintiff is the master of his claim. If the plaintiff unequivocally denies that he or she is making a claim, and that information is communicated to a newspaper, the fact that the newspaper stated that the plaintiff was making such a claim could be evidence of actual malice. [23] In Tucker III, the Tuckers made a similar claim, that their attorney told Time and Newsweek that the loss of consortium claim in Tucker II did not include an allegation of loss of sexual relations. However, despite the allegation, the Tuckers' attorney admitted that he made no such statement. When asked exactly what he said to put [the Newsweek reporter] on notice that the Tuckers' claim did not involve impairment of sexual relations, Mr. Angino replied: `I said only in the rarest of cases would you have a count that actually involves sex. I'm under oath, so I cannot say to you that I said specifically, this case does not involve sex.' Tucker III, 237 F.3d at 286 (3d Cir.2001) (emphasis in original). It is also worthy of note that the Newsweek article was printed on August 20, 1997, eighteen days after the Philadelphia Daily News article and sixteen days after the Legal Intelligencer article. Accordingly, it appears that, if Mr. Angino could not state under oath that he told the Newsweek reporter that the Tucker II Complaint did not involve a claim of loss of sexual relations, it is unclear whether he told Appellant-newspapers in this case. [24] Additionally, the Tuckers' Complaint in this case is ambiguous at best. It alleges that Mr. Angino told a few of the defendants in the case that the Tucker II Complaint did not include a loss of sexual relations claim. (R.R. 36a.) It is not clear that the allegation of knowledge relates to these Appellant-newspapers. The Preliminary Objections of the Philadelphia Daily News asserted that the Complaint of the Tuckers should be dismissed because it fails to adequately inform the defendants of the charges against them. (R. 131a.) It argued that the Complaint was insufficiently specific to meet the pleading requirements of Pa.R.C.P. 1028(a)(3). We agree. We cannot know from the pleading whether the remaining Appellant-newspapers were among the newspapers Mr. Angino asserted he spoke with, especially because several newspapers were dismissed from the action. More generally, there is no way a court can possibly evaluate a pleading to determine if it states a cause of action if it is so vague that the court cannot determine whether the plaintiffs allege to have given the defendants important notice. Here we do not know whether the attorney for the Tuckers claims to have actually told Appellant-newspapers that the loss of consortium claim did not include a loss of sexual relations allegation and we are unable to conclude that he did based upon the current pleading. However, in the event that the Tuckers are able to show that they unequivocally communicated the foregoing information to Appellant-newspapers, the Tuckers would have stated a viable cause of action. See Curtis Publishing, 388 U.S. at 169-170, 87 S.Ct. 1975 (observing that where little investigative effort was expended initially, and no additional inquiries were made even after the editors were notified by respondent and his daughter that the account, to be published was absolutely untrue [and i]nstead the [newspaper] proceeded on its reckless course with full knowledge of the harm that would likely result from publication of the article ... [the evidence discloses]... [a] reckless disregard for the truth....). However, because the pleading is impermissibly vague, we dismiss it with leave to replead only in the event that the Tuckers are able to allege, in good faith, that their attorney unequivocally told these specific Appellant-newspapers that the loss of consortium claim did not include a claim for loss of sexual relations. The Tuckers also assert that Appellant-newspapers were reckless in not knowing that the Tucker II Complaint did not seek to recover for damage to the Tuckers' sex lives for several additional reasons, none of which is sufficient to prove actual malice by clear and convincing evidence. The Complaint in this case alleges that Appellant-newspapers recklessly disregarded the truth by failing to do research into Mr. and Mrs. Tucker's background, including their ages, years of marriage, religious and moral upbringing, and their emphasis on privacy. (R.R. 38a.) Additionally, the Tuckers allege that Appellant-newspapers acted recklessly by failing to follow selected rules of journalistic ethics including: (1) not relying on biased sources; (2) failing to rely on the best sources; (3) not sensationalizing the news; and, (4) failing to check the sources and accuracy of the stories. Id. It is clear that a showing of [a] `reckless disregard' for the truth ... requires more than a departure from reasonably prudent conduct. Harte-Hanks, 491 U.S. at 688, 109 S.Ct. 2678. Failure to check sources, or negligence alone, is simply insufficient to maintain a cause of action for defamation. Recklessness generally and in the context of actual malice is not easily shown. As we have explained: The [United States] Supreme Court has emphasized that the question of whether a statement has been published with reckless disregard of falsity is not measured by whether a reasonably prudent man would have [published], or would have investigated before publishing. Rather, (t)here must be sufficient evidence to permit the conclusion that the defendant in fact entertained serious doubts as to the truth of his publication. Thus, while recklessness may be found where there are obvious reasons to doubt the veracity of the informant or the accuracy of his reports it simply cannot be concluded that a defendant entertained the requisite doubt as to the veracity of the challenged publication where the publication was based on information a defendant could reasonably believe to be accurate. Curran, 439 A.2d at 660 (internal citations and quotations omitted). The allegations of recklessness against Appellant-newspapers, at best, present a situation in which one could conclude that perhaps it would have been better if Appellant-newspapers asked the Tuckers or their attorney directly whether their loss of consortium claim included a claim for damage to their sexual relationship. However, while hindsight may be twenty-twenty, this failure does not constitute actual malice. Indeed, it may not rise to the level of negligence.