Opinion ID: 2462887
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: evidence of libel

Text: The jury found, from a preponderance of the evidence, that stated or implied facts published by the appellants in the two articles, were defamatory and false. Coody's principal contention was that the articles accused him of concealing a criminal past and that he had proven by his own denial and the reports submitted by him from the Texas and Arkansas authorities that he had no such past. Because the articles did not specifically mention the nature of the rumors about Coody's past but instead indicated that he was misleading the public and had something to hide, his claim was one of defamation by innuendo. See Pritchard v. Times Southwest Broadcasting, 277 Ark. 458, 642 S.W.2d 877 (1982). Also, Coody contends the statements regarding the letter writing campaign, his attempts to control to whom the appellants should listen, and the allegations that he was attempting to mislead the public about who he was and what he stood for were defamatory comments on his fitness and desirability as a mayoral candidate. See Harte-Hanks, supra . For purposes of this case, we need not review the findings of the jury that the articles in question contained stated or implied facts which were defamatory and false. Appellee, as a public figure, had the additional burden of proving that such false statements were made with actual malice, and he has failed to meet this burden.