Opinion ID: 744117
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Statement Three--The Prior Lawsuit

Text: 14 Minnesota law recognizes a qualified privilege for the media in reporting public proceedings. Schuster v. U.S. News & World Report, Inc., 459 F.Supp. 973, 978 (D.Minn.1978). A statement about a judicial proceeding will be privileged as long as it is a fair and accurate report of that proceeding. Jadwin, 390 N.W.2d at 441. Statement three, including the reference to the prior lawsuit, the altered death certificate and the deviation from normal procedures, was substantially true. The defendants submitted copies of Iowa newspaper articles and Michaelis's own deposition testimony from that case to prove the accuracy of the statement. 15 Michaelis concedes that she was sued in the Keokuk case and that she had previously admitted deviating from her normal procedure in signing the death certificate in that case. However, she claims that statement three is nevertheless inaccurate and, therefore, not privileged. She argues that: (1) not following her own normal procedure in preparing the Keokuk death certificate is markedly different than deviating from normal autopsy procedures, as reported by the broadcast; (2) she was sued in her official, not individual, capacity in the earlier suit, contrary to the implication in statement three; and (3) defendants did not prove that the reporter relied on the judicial proceeding when he broadcast the statement. These arguments are without merit. The statement is privileged because it constituted a fair and accurate summary of the prior proceeding. Id. Even the cumulative effect of these alleged discrepancies fails to render the statement substantially inaccurate. Furthermore, Minnesota law does not require a showing of actual reliance on the records of the prior proceeding before the privilege attaches. Therefore, we find that the district court correctly granted summary judgment as to this statement. 16