Opinion ID: 2637103
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Defamation claims against Tony Carroll and the Juneau Empire

Text: We therefore consider whether there is a potential factual dispute about whether Carroll and the Empire acted with actual malice. Although Olivit asserts that the Empire profited from publishing the allegedly defamatory article, he does not explain how. And even if the Empire did profit, that is not evidence that permissibly implies that the article was published with actual malice. In his verified complaint, Olivit stated that the fact that Tony Carroll and the Juneau Empire failed to confirm anything stated as fact was pure negligence and compounds the malicious act because they were used by the City and its representatives. In his verified response to the CBJ's request for summary judgment, Olivit stated that we can only guess the motivation behind Tony Carroll's actions, they were negligent to say the least. Olivit frequently used the word malicious below and uses the same word in his appellant's brief, but he produced no evidence that Carroll or the Empire acted maliciously. Carroll swore in his affidavit that he believed everything in the article to be true. Carroll also explained in his affidavit that he relied on Alaska Court System records and interviews with four city officials, including Hartle, in writing the article, and that he unsuccessfully attempted to contact Olivit. No evidence rebuts any of these assertions. The record contains no evidence permitting an inference that Carroll knew or should have known before publication that any statement in the article was untrue. We therefore hold that Olivit has not demonstrated that there is a genuine factual dispute about whether Carroll and the Empire acted with actual malice as to the article generally or as to the three passages Olivit discusses on appeal. Olivit seems to assert on appeal that Hartle conspired with Carroll to publish false information about Olivit, but he has pointed to no evidence permitting a reasonable inference of any such conspiracy. We therefore affirm the summary judgment entered in favor of Carroll and the Empire.