Court Opinion

ID: 9600607
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 01:28:46.614628+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:10:34.021426
License: Public Domain

HALL, Chief Justice:
(concurring and dissenting).
I join that portion of the Court’s opinion that recognizes the privilege defendant had to make reference to and comment upon the complaint filed by the United States Attorney against plaintiffs. However, I do not join the remainder of the opinion that vacates the summary judgment.
I deem plaintiffs’ bare allegation of defendant’s purported state of mind as being of no legal consequence under the particular facts of this case. The trial court had before it the full text of the libel asserted, together with the full text of the subject complaint. On the face thereof, and without the necessity of further evidence, the claimed libelous publication of the defendant reflects that it was nothing more than a comment upon the allegations contained in an official complaint, on file as a public record, which had already been published to all of the stockholders of AMR Corporation, and already commented upon by plaintiffs. Defendant clearly did not exceed the privilege he had to comment thereon, regardless of his motive. However, his motivation was also plain on the face of the documents, i.e., to exercise the privilege he had to comment on the content of the complaint, particularly in light of the fact that plaintiffs had already seen fit to do so.
I would affirm the judgment in its entirety-