Opinion ID: 1771854
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Proving Defamation

Text: A cause of action for defamation arises out of a violation of Civil Code article 2315. Vicknair v. Daily States Pub. Co., 153 La. 677, 96 So. 529 (1923); Ferdinand F. Stone, 12 Louisiana Civil Law Treatise Tort Doctrine § 176(c), at 227 (1977). Defamation involves the invasion of a person's interest in his or her reputation and good name. Sassone v. Elder, 92-1856 (La.10/18/93), 626 So.2d 345, 350 (citing W. Page Keeton et al., Prosser and Keeton on the Law of Torts § 111 (5th ed.1984)). In order to prevail in a defamation action, a plaintiff must necessarily prove four elements: (1) a false and defamatory statement concerning another; (2) an unprivileged publication to a third party; (3) fault (negligence or greater) on the part of the publisher; and (4) resulting injury. Trentecosta v. Beck, 96-2388 (La.10/21/97), 703 So.2d 552, 559 (citing Restatement (Second) of Torts § 558 (1977)); see Cangelosi v. Schwegmann Bros. Giant Super Markets, 390 So.2d 196, 198 (La.1980) (considering falsity as a fifth and separate element). In other words, a plaintiff must prove `that the defendant, with actual malice or other fault, published a false statement with defamatory words which caused plaintiff damages.' Trentecosta, 703 So.2d at 559 (quoting Sassone, 626 So.2d at 350). We first turn to the statement allegedly uttered by Tucker at the Acadiana Council on Addictions meeting that Fitzgerald was and is responsible for causing turmoil between the UMC Counselor Trainees and the [Board]. An exhaustive review of the record (including the 464 page trial transcript and the parties' pre-trial memoranda and stipulations), the parties' appellate briefs, and the oral arguments before this Court reveals not one iota of discussion about this meeting, let alone statements made at the meeting by Tucker that Fitzgerald caused turmoil between UMC counselor trainees and the Board. Accordingly, we find that Fitzgerald failed to meet her burden of proving the second element of a defamation claim, that Tucker published this statement. We next consider the second instance of alleged defamation, Tucker's statements during the interview with Huebner. As noted above, for a statement to be actionable, it must be false, defamatory, and concern another. Generally, a communication is defamatory if it tends to harm the reputation of another so as to lower the person in the estimation of the community, to deter others from associating or dealing with the person, or otherwise exposes a person to contempt or ridicule. Trentecosta, 703 So.2d at 559 (citing Restatement (Second) of Torts § 559 cmt.(e) (1977)); Freeman v. Cooper, 414 So.2d 355 (La.1982). Thus, a communication which contains an element of personal disgrace, dishonesty, or disrepute undoubtedly satisfies the definition of defamatory. Trentecosta, 703 So.2d at 559; Bussie v. Lowenthal, 535 So.2d 378 (La.1988). Nonetheless, not all defamatory statements are actionable. Rather, many statements are protected by the First Amendment's guarantee of freedom of speech. For example, `a statement of opinion relating to matters of public concern which does not contain a provably false factual connotation will receive full constitutional protection.' Romero v. Thomson, 94-1105 (La.1/17/95), 648 So.2d 866, 870 (quoting Milkovich v. Lorain Journal Co., 497 U.S. 1, 20, 110 S.Ct. 2695, 111 L.Ed.2d 1 (1990)). Also, [s]peech on matters of public concern enjoys enhanced constitutional protection. Romero, 648 So.2d at 869. Ultimately, the court must decide whether a communication is capable of a particular meaning and whether that meaning is defamatory. [7] Sassone, 626 So.2d at 353 & n. 9; Bussie, 535 So.2d at 382. [A]s a general rule, a Louisiana appellate court should not disturb the reasonable findings and inferences of fact of a trial judge or jury, even though the appellate court may feel that its own evaluations and inferences are as reasonable. But when interpretation of a communication in light of the constitutional requirements is involved, our scope of review is to examine in depth the statements in issue and the circumstances under which they were made, and to re-examine the evidentiary basis of the lower court decision in the light of the Constitution. Mashburn v. Collin, 355 So.2d 879, 886-87 (La.1977). In Mashburn v. Collin , this Court declared that the First Amendment freedoms ... afford, at the very least, a defense against defamation actions for expressions of opinion.... Id. at 885. We expounded on this rule in Bussie v. Lowenthal , stating that: a pure statement of opinion, which is based totally on the speaker's subjective view and which does not expressly state or imply the existence of underlying facts, usually will not be actionable in defamation. That is because falsity is an indispensable element of any defamation claim, and a purely subjective statement can be neither true nor false. Id. at 381 (citation omitted). However, in Bussie we also noted that statements of opinion usually refer to express or implied statements of fact. Id. Of course, if a statement of opinion is accompanied by an express statement of fact, that express statement of fact may be actionable if it is defamatory, false, and concerns another. Moreover, if a statement of opinion implies that certain facts exist, then such a statement, even though couched in terms of an opinion, could certainly give rise to a defamation action if the implied factual assertions are defamatory and false. Id. (citing Freeman, 414 So.2d at 355). [E]ven if an opinion gives rise to false factual inferences, the defendant will be liable only if the statement was made with `knowing or reckless falsity.' Id. & n. 6 (footnote omitted) (quoting Mashburn, 355 So.2d at 885). Moreover, the factual inference created by the statement [of opinion] must be ascertainable by a reasonable person with some degree of certainty. Id. at 378. Otherwise, juries would be asked to engage in guessing-games about possible uncomplimentary inferences that can be drawn from statements of opinion, and the First Amendment protections afforded in this area would become worthless. Id. (footnote omitted); see Restatement (Second) of Torts § 566 cmt.(c)(4). In sum, an expression of opinion is actionable only if it implies the existence of underlying facts ascertainable by a reasonable person with some degree of certainty, and the implied factual assertions are false, defamatory, made with actual malice, and concern another. In addition to false, defamatory statements of fact, and statements of opinion made with actual malice which imply false, defamatory facts, yet another type of statement is actionable under Louisiana's law of defamation. A plaintiff may recover for defamation by innuendo or implication, which occurs when one publishes truthful statements of fact, and those truthful facts carry a false, defamatory implication about another. Schaefer v. Lynch, 406 So.2d 185, 188 (La.1981); see Sassone, 626 So.2d at 353-54; Sack & Baron, supra, § 3.6; Smolla, supra, § 4.05[1]. In other words, defamatory meaning can be insinuated from an otherwise true communication. Schaefer, 406 So.2d at 188. The rationale behind this rule is that, when truthful statements carry a defamatory innuendo, the factual implication should also be true to justify the implication. Id. Nonetheless, the publication of true statements is generally encouraged even if published `for no good reason or for the worst possible motives....' Id. (quoting Prosser, Law of Torts, 4th ed., West, p. 197). Moreover, truthful facts which carry a defamatory implication can only be actionable if the statements regard a private individual and private affairs. Schaefer, 406 So.2d at 188. Where public officers and public affairs are concerned, there can be no libel by innuendo. [8] Id. The determination of whether a statement is an assertion of fact or a mere expression of opinion should be made according to the facts of each particular case. Bussie, 535 So.2d at 381. In Mashburn, we noted that `the crucial difference between statement of fact and opinion depends upon whether ordinary persons hearing or reading the matter complained of would be likely to understand it as an expression of the speaker's or writer's opinion, or as a statement of existing fact.' Id. (quoting Mashburn, 355 So.2d at 885). The opinion may be ostensibly in the form of a factual statement if it is clear from the context that the maker did not intend to assert another objective fact but only his personal comment on the facts which he had stated. An expression of opinion occurs when the maker of the comment states the facts on which his opinion of the plaintiff is based and then expresses a comment as to the plaintiff's conduct, qualifications or character or when both parties to the communication know the facts or assume their existence and the comment is clearly based on the known or assumed facts in order to justify the comment. Mashburn, 355 So.2d at 885. The question of whether a statement is one of fact or opinion depends upon the circumstances in which the statement was made, and the reasonable inferences which may be drawn from a statement of opinion will vary depending upon the circumstances of the case. We turn now to determining whether Tucker published actionable statements during the interview with Huebner. So that we can better analyze the nature of the statements in the context of the interview, we transcribe below the relevant portions of the interview. Tucker's and Huebner's corresponding actions are bracketed and italicized, and the statements alleged to be defamatory are printed in bold type. Before Huebner asks Tucker any questions, a voice quotes several deficiencies noted in the Legislative Auditor's report, as each quote is displayed across the television screen. The transcription begins with the last quote read and displayed. Voiceover: And failed to issue certificates to substance abuse counselors in consecutive order ... [Quote is displayed on the screen. Neither Tucker nor Huebner is shown]. [9] Huebner: So there is no way to account for how many have been issued, which is of considerable concern to Tucker and others. [While Tucker is holding Fitzgerald's improperly signed certificate, the camera zooms in, displaying the certificate, including her name.] Tucker: We would encourage any person who has a question about a certificate to call the Board. We can verify who has authentic certificates today. [Before Tucker responds, he lowers his arms, thereby removing Fitzgerald's name from the camera's view. It is apparent that Tucker is still holding the certificate, though.] Huebner: So there could be people out there masquerading as substance abuse counselors? [Huebner gestures toward Fitzgerald's certificate, which is still in Tucker's hands. Fitzgerald's name is not visible.] Tucker: That could be happening. Huebner: Do you have any idea how many bogus ones are out there? [Huebner gestures toward Fitzgerald's certificate, which is still in Tucker's hands. Fitzgerald's name is not visible.] Tucker: No sir. None that we are aware of at this time because we recalled the seventeen that were improperly signed. Huebner: The seventeen that you know of? Tucker: The seventeen that we know of. We find that the first statement That could be happeningwas a statement of opinion. Given the circumstances surrounding the statement, we believe ordinary persons hearing this statement would be likely to understand it as an expression of Tucker's opinion. He was responding to a question about the mere possibility of people masquerading as substance abuse counselors, due to the Board's inability to account for certificates. Moreover, the term masquerading is subjective in nature, and Tucker never stated that anybody, let alone Fitzgerald, was in fact practicing as a substance abuse counselor without a valid certificate. In order for an expression of opinion, which is highly protected by the First Amendment, to be actionable, it must imply the existence of underlying facts ascertainable by a reasonable person with some degree of certainty, and the implied factual assertion must be false, defamatory, made with actual malice, and concern another. In this case, Tucker never spoke Fitzgerald's name. Also, Tucker did not display Fitzgerald's name when he responded to Huebner's question. Although it is within the realm of possibility that someone may have believed that Fitzgerald, herself, was masquerading as a substance abuse counselor with a bogus certificate in violation of Board rules, it is not an inference which a reasonable person would readily ascertain with some degree of certainty. In fact, a reasonable person might conclude just the opposite, that Fitzgerald is not masquerading as a counselor with a bogus certificate, because Tucker, the chairman of the Board, was holding that certificate during the interview. Moreover, one of Tucker's responses actually affirms that nobody has an improper certificate anymore because each has been collected. How then could Fitzgerald be masquerading with a bogus certificate? It is telling that at trial not one individual testified that, as a result of viewing the newscast, he believed Fitzgerald was uncertified or counseling in violation of Board rules. [10] Furthermore, a reasonable person might readily ascertain with some degree of certainty from Tucker's statements that there is a possibility that somebody, other than Fitzgerald (whose certificate was in the hands of Tucker) may have an unnumbered certificate. This is substantially true. Moreover, another inferencethat at one point Fitzgerald in fact had an improperly signed, unnumbered certificate is substantially true. See Romero, 648 So.2d at 871; Otero v. Ewing, 165 La. 398, 115 So. 633 (1927). Yet another possible factual inference exists, viz., that Fitzgerald was somehow involved in the improper execution of the certificates. Again, such an inference is substantially true, as Fitzgerald was charged with the responsibility of having the certificates duly executed, but instead brought them to a non-Board member for his signature. Furthermore, a viewer of the newscast could have readily ascertained whether Fitzgerald's certificate was currently valid by calling the Board, as Tucker encouraged during the interview. Accordingly, we find that Tucker's statement that [t]hat could be happening is not actionable as matter of law. We next turn to the second allegedly defamatory statement published by TuckerNo sir. None that we are aware of at this time because we recalled the seventeen that were improperly signed. Given the circumstances surrounding this statement, we believe ordinary persons hearing this statement would likely understand it as an expression of fact. The statement is not capable of subjective interpretation, but rather states the precise number of improperly signed certificates that had been recalled at that time. Moreover, Tucker is speaking in his capacity as chairman of the Board. By using the pronoun we in the context of this specific interview, it is quite clear that Tucker intends the statement not to be construed as his personal opinion, but rather as a statement of fact by the Board. Significantly, there is nothing provably false about Tucker's statement. Tucker tactfully avoids incorporating Huebner's reference to the certificates as bogus, instead referring to them as improperly signed. It is substantially true that the certificates were improperly signed certificates, and that seventeen had been recalled by the Board, at the Inspector General's direction. See Romero, 648 So.2d at 871; Otero, 115 So. at 633. Accordingly, we find that Tucker's response concerning improperly signed certificates is not an actionable, false statement of fact. We now consider whether Tucker's statements constituted defamation by innuendo, i.e., did Tucker publish truthful statements of fact which carry a false, defamatory implication. Essentially, we must determine whether Tucker implied false, defamatory innuendo about Fitzgerald by displaying Fitzgerald's improperly signed certificate [11] and later truthfully replying to Huebner's question. We have earlier noted that a plaintiff may claim defamation by innuendo only if the statements regard a private individual and private affairs. Schaefer, 406 So.2d at 188 (emphasis added). Where public officers and public affairs are concerned, there can be no libel by innuendo. Id. Unquestionably, the issuance of unnumbered and improperly executed Board certificates is a matter of public concern. Not only is their existence disconcerting to the public, but so is the Board mismanagement resulting in their issuance. Clearly, the Legislative Auditor found the matter troubling, Huebner thought the matter was newsworthy, and various certified substance abuse counselors testified at trial that they thought the matter was a matter of public concern. Accordingly, we find that Tucker's statement of fact did not constitute defamation by innuendo. For the foregoing reasons, we find that Tucker's statements during the interview are not actionable, defamatory statements. Because the record does not establish that Tucker's alleged statement during the Acadiana Council on Addictions meeting ever took place, and because Fitzgerald failed to allege in her petition that Tucker published any other actionable statements, we reverse the portion of the court of appeal's judgment affirming and modifying upward the award of damages for defamation, and hereby render judgment in favor of Tucker.