Opinion ID: 2607582
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Privacy in Arizona

Text: Arizona first recognized an action for invasion of privacy in Reed v. Real Detective Publishing Co., 63 Ariz. 294, 162 P.2d 133 (1945). Reed involved the unauthorized publication of the plaintiff's photograph. Subsequently, our court of appeals recognized the Restatement's four-part classification of the tort. See Rutledge, 148 Ariz. at 556, 715 P.2d at 1244; Cluff, 10 Ariz. App. at 563, 460 P.2d at 669. Although most jurisdictions that recognize a cause of action for invasion of privacy have adopted the Restatement standard of highly offensive to a reasonable person or a similar standard, see Note, Is Invasion of Privacy a Viable Cause of Action in Arizona?: Rethinking the Standard, 30 ARIZ.L.REV. 319, 331 n. 96 (1988), Arizona courts of appeals' decisions have imposed a stricter standard. Rather than following the Restatement, these decisions have held that where the damage alleged is emotional, the plaintiff must prove the elements of the tort of intentional infliction of emotional distress in addition to proving invasion of privacy. To recover for invasion of privacy, a plaintiff must show that the defendant's conduct was extreme and outrageous. [1] No other state requires a plaintiff to prove that the defendant committed outrage in a false light action. See Annotation, False Light Invasion of Privacy-Cognizability and Elements, 57 A.L.R.4th 22 (1987); Note, supra, 30 ARIZ.L.REV. at 338. Publishers urge this court to adopt the court of appeals' view. They argue that there is no need for an independent tort of false light invasion of privacy because the action overlaps two other recognized torts: defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress. These, publishers contend, cover the field and permit recovery in meritorious cases, thus making the false light action an unnecessary burden on the media's first amendment rights. To consider this argument, we must examine the distinctions between the false light action and the torts of intentional infliction of emotional distress and defamation.