Opinion ID: 2599511
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Application to Parties

Text: The trial court's written order, requiring Jacor and Gallegos to disclose Boyles's sources, thoroughly addressed each of the statutory factors that section 13-90-119(3) lists as considerations for requiring a newsperson to divulge confidential information. Additionally, the court's provable as false test, which we adopt in modified form as a probably false standard today, provides another level of protection for newspersons asserting the privilege. However, because the trial court failed to make adequate findings under section 13-90-119(3) concerning Boyles's claim of privilege at the time it ordered disclosure of the identities of Boyles's sources, we are unable to affirm the contempt sanction imposed on Boyles for his refusal to follow the trial court's disclosure order. The thorough written order of the trial court concerning the newsperson's statutory privilege was issued after it ordered Boyles to disclose his sources and after it held Boyles in contempt for failing to do so. [16] This written order was directed to defendant Jacor and non-party witness Gallegos, but not to Boyles. If, on remand, the court issues appropriate findings with regard to Boyles's assertion of the privilege and the court, consistent with this opinion, determines that section 13-90-119(2) does not shield Boyles from having to disclose the sources, it may then order disclosure. If Boyles continues to defy the court, the court may then consider appropriate sanctions. Although the trial court did not make findings concerning the factors enumerated under section 13-90-119(3) before ordering Boyles to disclose his sources, the court did make adequate findings in its order compelling Gallegos to disclose his knowledge of Boyles's sources and their identities. However, because we instruct the trial court to reconsider its order compelling Boyles to disclose the information and because Gallegos is a non-party to Gordon's defamation suit, the trial court must reassess its order compelling Gallegos to reveal the news information about Boyles's confidential sources. First, the trial court must reconsider its order compelling Gallegos to reveal the news information only after it completely reevaluates Boyles's assertion of the newsperson's privilege in light of our opinion today. If, after reviewing our opinion, the trial court issues an order requiring disclosure based on findings applicable to Boyles and Boyles reveals the information, then the trial court may determine that it is not necessary to compel the same information from Gallegos. See § 13-90-119(3)(b). On the other hand, if Boyles persists in his refusal to divulge information, then the court may determine that Gallegos represents the only reasonable means by which Gordon may obtain relevant and necessary information about Boyles's sources. Second, in addition to requiring that the trial court refrain from compelling Gallegos to disclose the information about Boyles's sources until after making the proper findings about Boyles's assertion of the newsperson's privilege and allowing Boyles an opportunity to respond, the trial court should only require Gallegos to disclose the information after taking into consideration Gallegos's position as a non-party in this case. Unlike Boyles, Gallegos did not broadcast any reports about Gordon based on information from the confidential sources and therefore did not risk defaming Gordon or place his own state of mind at issue for purposes of a defamation suit. See Zerilli, 656 F.2d at 714. For these reasons, we vacate the trial court's order compelling Gallegos to disclose the news information he learned about Boyles's sources and instruct the trial court to reconsider any order to Gallegos in light of our discussion in this opinion. Although we vacate the trial court's order requiring Gallegos to disclose the identities of Boyles's sources, we recognize that circumstances may arise that we have neither considered nor mentioned in this opinion that would support an order compelling Gallegos to divulge the identities of and any information he learned about Boyles's sources. In contrast to both Boyles and Gallegos, Jacor cannot assert the newsperson's privilege in this case. Section 13-90-119(2) only provides the privilege to those parties who possess news information received, observed, procured, processed, prepared, written, or edited by a newsperson while acting in the capacity of a newsperson.  (Emphasis added). As Jacor itself asserts, Larsen and Olinger learned information about Boyles's sources only in meetings with Boyles and Jacor's and Boyles's joint attorney to discuss legal strategy in response to Gordon's contemplated lawsuit. Jacor did not learn about Boyles's sources while gathering news information for dissemination to the public through the mass media. § 13-90-119(1)(c). For this reason, Jacor cannot rely on section 13-90-119(2) to shield it from having to disclose Boyles's sources.