Opinion ID: 197576
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Actual Malice Sometimes Must Be Shown.

Text: 23 The Supreme Court has ruled that the First Amendment not only restricts the types of actionable statements, but also limits the kinds of recoverable damages. Of particular relevance here is the Court's holding that a private individual who seeks damages for a defamatory statement involving a matter of public concern cannot recover presumed or punitive damages absent a showing of actual malice. See Dun & Bradstreet, Inc. v. Greenmoss Builders, Inc., 472 U.S. 749, 751, 756-57, 105 S.Ct. 2939, 2941, 2943-44, 86 L.Ed.2d 593 (1985); Gertz v. Robert Welch, Inc., 418 U.S. 323, 349, 94 S.Ct. 2997, 3011-12, 41 L.Ed.2d 789 (1974). Determining whether an allegedly defamatory statement involves a matter of public concern requires a court to assess the statement's content, form and context ... as revealed by the whole record. Dun & Bradstreet, 472 U.S. at 761, 105 S.Ct. at 2946 (quoting Connick, 461 U.S. at 147-48, 103 S.Ct. at 1690). Withal, locating particular statements along the public/private continuum is sometimes a surpassingly difficult task. 24