Opinion ID: 1704304
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Heading: First and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution as Affecting this Suit.

Text: New York Times v. Sullivan, 376 U.S. 254, 84 S.Ct. 710, 11 L.Ed.2d 686 (1964), involved an elected official of Montgomery, Alabama. In that case, the Supreme Court of the United States held that where a state court awarded a judgment in a civil action on libel and slander this was state action under the Fourteenth Amendment. It further held that a factual error, defamatory of an official's reputation, was insufficient to warrant an award of damages for a false statement, unless actual malice existed, and it was held that actual malice could only be shown by proof that the statements were made when known to be false, or were made in reckless disregard of whether true or false, and the burden was on the party claiming defamation to prove not only that the statement was false but that it was made with knowledge by the defendant that it was false, or with reckless disregard as to whether it was false or not. This case was followed by Garrison v. Louisiana, 379 U.S. 64, 85 S.Ct. 209, 13 L.Ed.2d 125 (1964), wherein a district attorney in Louisiana accused certain state court judges of laziness, inefficiency, and hampering his efforts to enforce the vice laws and there was an inference that the said judges might be subject to racketeer influence. The district attorney was prosecuted under a Louisiana criminal defamation statute which included prosecution for true statements, as well as false statements, if made with ill will, or without reasonable belief that they are true. The Supreme Court of the United States held that the rule stated in the New York Times v. Sullivan case applied. The judges there claimed that the district attorney's statements reflected upon their private lives. The Supreme Court said the statements could not be construed as constituting only a purely private defamation; that the accusations concerned the judges' conduct of business. It was held any criticism of the manner in which a public official performed his duties would tend to affect his private, as well as his public, reputation. Further, that the New York Times case is not rendered inapplicable because an official's private reputation, as well as his public reputation, is harmed. It was there stated,    The New York Times standard forbids the punishment of false statements, unless made with knowledge of their falsity or in reckless disregard of whether they are true or false. 379 U.S. at 78, 85 S.Ct. at 217, 13 L.Ed.2d at 135. The Louisiana statute punishes false statements without regard to the New York Times test, and actual malice by Louisiana decisions means [hatred], ill will or enmity, or a wanton desire to injure and, even if ill will is not established, a false statement about an official may be punished if not made in the reasonable belief that it is true. The Louisiana Supreme Court affirmed the conviction solely on the ground that the evidence supported the trial court's finding of ill will, enmity, or a wanton desire to injure. The trial court also rested the conviction on the finding that the statement was false and not made in the reasonable belief of its truth. The Supreme Court of the United States held the test laid down in the New York Times case is not keyed to ordinary care, but that the defeasance of the privilege is conditioned, not on mere negligence, but on reckless disregard for the truth. The Court again stated that as held in the New York Times case an official might be allowed a civil remedy only if he established that the utterances were false and that it was made with knowledge of its falsity or in reckless disregard as to whether false or true. In the case of Henry v. Collins (from this Court), 380 U.S. 356, 85 S.Ct. 992, 13 L.Ed.2d 892 (1965), we had approved a conviction where the trial court gave an instruction that malice did not necessarily mean hatred or ill will, but that malice may consist of culpable recklessness or ill will, and wanton disregard of the rights and interests of the person defamed. The jury was also told by an instruction that, if they believed from the evidence that the defendant published a false statement charging the defendant with a diabolic plot, malice might be inferred from the falsity and libelous nature of the statement. The Supreme Court of the United States held that a jury might have construed these instructions to warrant recovery on the showing of an intent to inflict harm rather than intent to inflict harm through falsehood and again recited the requirement of the New York Times case as to proof. These cases all hold that the burden is on the plaintiff not only to prove the statements were false but that the defendant knew the statements to be false and either published them with such knowledge, or with a reckles disregard as to whether they were true or not, where public officials are involved. The courts have inferentially and actually extended the New York Times v. Sullivan rule not only to include public officials, but to include anybody engaged in activity relative to matters of public interest, public issues, or concern, particularly if connected with government. In Rosenblatt v. Baer, 383 U.S. 75, 86 S.Ct. 669, 15 L.Ed.2d 597 (1966), the rule was applied to a superintendent of state parks appointed to office. The New York Times rule applied in Pauling v. Globe Democratic Pub. Co., 362 F.2d 188 (8th Cir.1966). On page 195 the principles established by the New York Times case are enumerated. On pages 196-197 of the same report are numerous decisions where application of the rule has been made to appointive officers and others, such as a chairman of a County Democratic Primary Board, candidates for office, as well as incumbents, and it also cites two cases where the principle is applicable to a person of prominence who involves himself in a matter of public interest or concern. See also Walker v. Courier Journal et al., 368 F.2d 189 (6th Cir.1966). These decisions all hold that the burden is on the plaintiff to show, as stated, not only that the statements were false, but that they were published with knowledge of their falsity or in reckless disregard as to whether they were true or false. The plaintiff offered evidence by himself that he was not an Uncle Tom, but there was no evidence that the other statements made upon which suit was filed were false, and there was no evidence that the appellants knew that they were false or that the statements were printed or circulated with reckless disregard as to whether they were true or false. The court in rendering its finding of facts on the trial of the case based liability upon the fact that there was no evidence of truthfulness of any of the drawings or articles and there had not been shown any remorse or apology by the defendants. The finding of facts indicates that the judge was trying the case under Mississippi law as to an ordinary libel and slander suit and not upon the law either as to fair comment or as announced by the Supreme Court of the United States. He further found that malice had been clearly shown, but that finding was based upon the testimony of the defendants who candidly stated that their intentions were to undertake to have Foster removed from his position as principal. In the Garrison case, supra, it was held that ill will and intent to injure were not sufficient to sustain the action, neither was proof of injury sufficient nor was the fact that the private reputation was injured sufficient, provided it was coupled with official action, and it further held, as this Court held in the Edmonds case, that there was no presumption of malice. The federal courts have preempted the field of libel and slander and have established that hatred, ill will, enmity, intent to harm or negligence are insufficient to establish malice toward those involved in discussions on public issues. That the defendants are protected under the First and Fourteenth Amendments of the United States Constitution, unless the plaintiff shows malice by proving that the defendant when he published the words  (1) either knew they were false, or (2) published them in reckless disregard of whether true or not. We are required to follow the Supreme Court of the United States. In summary, appellee wholly failed to sustain the burden of proof in this case, for two reasons: The publications by appellants fall within the fair comment rule on public issues, under Edmonds v. Delta Democrat Pub. Co., supra; and, further, appellee's evidence was insufficient to comply with the constitutional requirements of the New York Times v. Sullivan rule with reference to statements concerning a public official or one substantially connected with public affairs. Hence this case is reversed and judgment is rendered here for appellants. Reversed and judgment rendered here for appellants. All Justices concur, except INZER and SMITH, JJ., who took no part.