Court Opinion

ID: 9723198
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 10:05:58.289236+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:24:45.422498
License: Public Domain

PRESIDING JUSTICE McLAREN, specially concurring: I specially concur because I believe that Dr. Shannon’s statements are sufficiently capable of being understood to refer to the plaintiff. See Beresky v. Teschner, 64 Ill. App. 3d 848, 851 (1978). Dr. Shannon knew she was referring to the plaintiff when she made her statements as to treatment and the brochure. Dr. Shannon knew that her statements, if used in the newscast, would refer to the plaintiff. Additionally, I believe the brochure, if considered, would refer to and identify the plaintiff. Thus, I believe the issue became one of fact, and Dr. Shannon should not have been dismissed with prejudice from the cause on this basis. See Beresky, 64 Ill. App. 3d at 851. I interpret the majority’s opinion to hold that, even if Dr. Shannon had used the plaintiff’s name in her statements, those statements would not have been capable of being understood to refer to the plaintiff if the plaintiff’s name had been redacted (bleeped out) from those statements. I am not willing to go that far. I concur with the remaining portion of the majority opinion.