Opinion ID: 1775658
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Fair Comment

Text: Under common law, there exists a qualified privilege (defense) for opinions in the form of fair comment. The privilege is qualified because after it is established by the defendant, a showing by the plaintiff of actual malice destroys the privilege. Criticism regarding the official acts or conduct of public officials and candidates for public office, or their qualifications for office, is privileged and not libelous. See Rawlins v. McKee, 327 S.W.2d 633, 637 (Tex.Civ.App. Texarkana 1959, writ ref'd n.r.e.). Whatever pertains to the qualification of a candidate for public office is certainly a legitimate subject for discussion and comment in a political campaign. The fair comment privilege has been codified in part with respect to the press in our libel statutes. See Tex.Civ.Prac. & Rem.Code Ann. § 73.002 (Vernon 1986). However, this codification does not affect the existence of common law defenses to libel. Tex.Civ.Prac. & Rem.Code Ann. § 73.006 (Vernon 1986). Thus, after Gertz , the common law fair comment privilege continues to have vitality, at least insofar as the assertion of it preserves the point that the alleged defamatory statements are constitutionally protected expressions of opinion. See Prosser and Keeton on the Law of Torts, § 115.5 (W. Keeton 5th ed. 1984). The better practice is for litigants to specifically assert that a particular statement is not actionable because it is a statement of opinion, if this is their defense. Nevertheless, because the fair comment privilege protects only statements of opinion, I conclude that the issue of whether the word barbarian was an opinion was preserved for our review, as were the statements that Brand ruled McAllen like an ayatollah, that his leadership style was to rule the City with an iron fist, and that Brand tried to make a deal which would have shut ... hospital doors to [the]... poor.... [2] I would apply the four Ollman factors previously mentioned to determine whether these statements were of fact or of opinion.